


Child of Magic

by Twiddlesticks



Category: Shovel Knight
Genre: Angst, Blood, Dismemberment, F/M, Jokes, Post Game, Smooching, Suicidal Thoughts, again bad with tags but ill try to update the list if i miss anything, and a good amount of fluff too!, and magical adventure, both cartoon and serious violence, injuries, its not quite as horrible as it sounds though, just making sure everyone is in the know. otherwise its mostly lighthearted, mentions of abusive parents, mentions of physical and emotional abuse, there is also for example
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-18
Updated: 2019-04-13
Packaged: 2019-09-22 07:40:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 20
Words: 148,356
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17055848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Twiddlesticks/pseuds/Twiddlesticks
Summary: Sequel to The Object of His Afflictions (and technically to Plague of Shadows)-After the defeat of The Enchantress, The Valley is at peace once more, and its inhabitants are free to return to their happy lives. Brilliant alchemist Mona Mopes looks forward to being able to finally achieve her dream of becoming a famous alchemist and deciphering the deep secrets of the universe. Unfortunately, she is once again thrust into the shadows when she discovers a dark secret about her past... one that might threaten the entire Valley once again.But Mona is, of course, a lady of action, and she refuses to let disaster strike... even at the cost of her own life.-The (most likely final) part of my little POS lore series, this time concerning Mona. Again, written (and hopefully finished) before KOC!





	1. The Epilogue (of another tale)

“I heard he used to be a bandit.”

“Really? An honest-to-goodness bandit?”

“Apparently! A real guttersnipe. But it was all kept hush-hush when he moved into The Valley.”

“A cover up?”

“Well, not a very good one, clearly. From what I’ve heard, he had quite the dubious reputation. Many considered him naught but a dirty charlatan… Until he joined the Enchantress, of course. If he could hide his past before, he certainly couldn’t after that. Took to villainy like a Fish to water.”

“Hmph. I wasn’t afraid of him.”

“You never left Pridemoor.”

“W-well…”

“Well I’ve always thought he was quite mysterious!.. It makes perfect sense that he was a double agent all along. He’s almost dashing, now, don’t you think? When’s he coming out..?”

A Peacock, a young man in a blue doublet, and a lady in a red dress all leaned forwards expectantly, anticipating the arrival of the guest of honour. The lady was about to speak again, when she was interrupted by the loudest yawn she’d ever heard, coming from right behind her.  
Turning indignantly towards the source of the interruption, the group beheld an intimidatingly tall, dark haired woman with emerald green skin. She was dressed in splendid black robes, and she was giving them a look that was even blacker. 

Mona Mopes had little patience for the snide gossip of nobility. She’d grown up surrounded by it, and made a point to avoid it wherever possible as an adult. Running away from home had helped, but today she had no choice but to grin and bear it. Or scowl and bear it, rather.  
But she would bear it, nevertheless, for today was a momentous occasion indeed.

It had been two weeks since the destruction of the Tower of Fate. News of the heroes who conquered the vile edifice -Plague Knight and Shovel Knight- had spread quickly throughout the land.  
Shovel Knight, it seemed, had ducked out humbly. After a small celebration by the townspeople, he’d retreated to his modest home on the outskirts of The Valley, apparently to care for his injured partner.  
The Villagers all thought it very gallant and noble of him to do so, and wished him well on his way out. However, they would not be robbed of the opportunity to throw a grand party for a conquering hero… so their adulation was heaped upon the unlikely champion, Plague Knight, instead. Nobody would have guessed in a million years that that creepy little bird-man was a double agent, but now the truth was out, everyone was itching to congratulate him. 

Plague Knight, unfortunately, refused their attentions on different grounds. Social situations were hardly his forte, and he was most certainly not used to all this positive regard. He was boastful and lively at first, but withdrew into a shell of nervous twitchiness as The Villagers clamoured for more than just his account of his heroic deeds and adventures.  
After that, he refused any and all invitations to social gatherings, hiding away in some secret place that nobody could find. He’d certainly gotten his parade, only to find that he didn’t really want it…

A summons from the king, however, was enough to catch his interest. The Villagers had failed, but the king and his court would not be dissuaded. As aristocrats, they were used to getting what they wanted, and they all wanted a piece of at least one of the heroes of the Tower of Fate. So it came to pass that Plague Knight was invited to Pridemoor Keep to be knighted. For real.

…Eventually.

Mona felt as if she’d been standing in the throne room for hours, though she knew it to be hardly a quarter of one. The nobles around her were shuffling with a similar sort of restlessness, their fancy shoes scuffing on the lavish red carpets. Some of the less refined ones at the back of the crowd were leaning against the walls, which still bore the golden gilt of King Knight’s reign.

Speaking of King Knight, the royal rascal crouched at the far end of the room, away from the assemblage, his shiny helmet lowered over the floor, which he was half-heartedly scrubbing. He wasn’t audible, but it was almost certain he was grumbling to himself about the injustice of it all. Mona had found his punishment amusingly light, but then, King Pridemoor was known to be a bit soft.  
Then again, perhaps it wasn’t about the physical aspect; forcing a man who thought himself royalty to do such a menial task -and in plain view of an entire royal court- was surely deeply humiliating. Perhaps king Pridemoor was more devious than Mona had first thought?

As the nobles in front of Mona began to grow increasingly uncomfortable with her scowling stare, Mona puckered her lips and made a staccato shushing sound. Despite loathing nobles, and the court, and all their frivolous pomp and circumstance, she was genuinely excited to see her little partner achieve a true rank. Mostly due to the fact that he himself was a bit twitterpated by the idea.  
He’d tried to pass off his glee, of course. Plague Knight was too proud to admit that he was honestly flattered by all that fancy nonsense. But Mona could hear the tremble in his voice and see the skip in his step, and his feelings were, as usual, infectious. 

Mona wanted this moment to be perfect for him. She wanted him to be surrounded by a halo of adulation and respect. The gossip being whispered back and forth was hardly surprising, but today she could absolutely not ignore it as she usually did. Today was important. And so Mona was doing her best to both tolerate the place and people she hated, as well as using her natural intimidation to make sure none of them ruined the occasion.  
And with that final shush, she conveyed her silent message: Shut up, or I’ll make you.

The nobles eyed her right back with looks of disdain or uncertainty. None of them knew who she was. She’d refrained from speaking on her role in the fall of the Tower on a large scale. She didn’t want the attention it would garner just yet. She would quietly disseminate word of her skills once the immediate fervour died down… once people were looking to invest in an acclaimed alchemist. 

Luckily, a keen battle of haughty wit was promptly prevented by the sudden noise of the doors opening, and the clanking of armour.  
The assemblage quickly went quiet and peered forwards eagerly as a procession of knights proceeded down the hall, swords and shields gleaming in the light from the wide open windows.  
They performed a little salute, raising their swords, then trooped to their places around the king’s throne, trailing a small figure in dark blue cloth.

Plague Knight skittered quickly up the carpet, clearly trying to control himself. He looked nervous under so many eyes, but as he made his way past Mona, he tilted his beak upwards and puffed out his chest, causing the chains at his throat to catch the light and gleam as brightly as any of the knights’ armour.

Mona made sure to shoot him a smile -a real one- as he went. She still wasn’t very practiced at the gesture, exactly, and the expression probably wasn’t as big on the outside as her feelings were on the inside. Nevertheless, it seemed to help.

She heard the nobles whisper around her, and saw their heads turn to follow her partner as he moved.

“That’s him!”

“He’s much smaller than I thought…”

“And such simple attire… One would think he would dress a little more finely to be received by the king..!”

“Is he going to remove his mask? Isn’t it customary to show one’s face at solemn events?”

Mona narrowed her eyes and drummed her fingers against her skirts. She kept her eyes fixed on her partner, all the while performing subtle acts of magic. The whispers died down with tiny yelps as she banished an article of clothing here, and summoned an object there. It was all she could do to control the situation, but it seemed to be working out well enough.  
Plague Knight was standing before the throne, now, and Mona stayed her hand to concentrate on him.

The king stood up from his ornate seat and spread his arms wide.

“Plague Knight, master of the Explodatorium and hero of the Tower of Fate. We are honoured to have you in our presence. Your valorous acts were instrumental in freeing our land from the tyranny of The Enchantress, and you performed them even at great personal risk. To recognize your courage and sacrifice, we wish to bestow upon you the title of knight.”

The court clapped politely, and some of the more boisterous members let out a hearty ‘hear, hear!’

Plague Knight seemed to be about to make one of his usual quips, when he was instructed by an attendant to kneel. He dutifully dropped to one knee, clutching onto his staff to make sure he didn’t keel over in his nervousness.  
The king stepped forwards and drew his sceptre, placing it gently on Plague Knight’s right shoulder, then drawing it over his hooded head to rest on his left.

“I dub thee… Sir Plague Knight, Hero of The Valley!”

Plague Knight sprang up almost immediately with a gleeful whoop, and promptly knocked the king’s crown off in the process. There was a resounding gasp from the court, then an uneasy pause, before the sound of chuckling rose over it.  
Mona was quite amused at Plague Knight’s display of excitement, and she wasn’t afraid to show it. The king, it seemed, shared her view. Once their monarch began laughing as well, the court quickly followed suit, and one of the knights stooped down to pick up the fallen crown. King Knight, who had been edging closer for a short period, hand outstretched, fell back in disappointment and tossed his cleaning rag to the ground. 

“Thank you, Tristan,” said the king, taking the crown back and replacing it upon his head. He then raised his hands and lead the room in a much louder round of applause. Mona joined in wholeheartedly. 

 

“Well, Sir Plague Knight. How do you feel?”

“Hee! Exhausted and absolutely grand, hahaha!!”

After the festivities had ended and the alchemists were finally allowed to leave, Mona and Plague Knight found themselves ambling leisurely back to the carriage that had ferried them from The Village to Pridemoor Keep. They were both full to bursting with banquet food, and completely tuckered out from dealing with the world of social niceties all day. 

“Well, Sir Plague Knight, I’m sure we’ll both get a good night’s sleep… A good knight’s sleep, in your case,” said Mona, smirking at her little joke.

Plague Knight snorted and folded his arms, “Alright, don’t rub it in.”

“I’m not, Sir Plague Knight, I’m just in awe of your regal standing! I feel humbled by your very presence.”

“Hee! Why, Lady Mopes! Can a little man such as myself ever hope to truly intimidate a great woman such as you? A title might give me a swelled head, but it can only swell so far, heeheehee!”

Mona smirked and placed a hand on his hood, pushing down slightly, “Perhaps some high-heeled sabatons might help, Sir Knight! Though, when I referred to your standing, I wasn’t talking about height…” 

There was a pause, before Mona quickly withdrew her hand and folded it into the other, glancing away. Plague Knight drew away in a similar fashion. Banter had always been something of an awkward little dance for the two of them, but now they were performing it on the edge of a knife. It had been a little while since they’d essentially admitted their feelings for one another. Essentially, of course, because neither of them had actually said ‘I love you’ out loud. Or at least while the other could hear.  
Nevertheless, despite their nervous, doubting natures, the point had been gotten across. And now the true, flirtatious nature of their back-and-forths was embarrassingly obvious.  
Neither of them was ready to move forwards, exactly. They were still revelling in the knowledge that there was even the possibility of moving forwards. But the tension was building. One of them, at some point, would have to make a move…

“So, um… have you had word from Percy, yet?” asked Mona, as they neared the carriage. 

“Hee! Just this morning, actually. He says he’s settled in nicely, but I think I’m going to check in and make sure he hasn’t gone, eehee, ballistic.” 

Mona snickered. After the fall of the Tower of Fate, Plague Knight had expressed the wish to move his activities to the Potionarium, the formal reason being that the Potionarium was closer to one of the largest settlements in The Valley, thus making commerce easier. The unspoken reason, of course, was to be closer to his partner. Permanently, this time. And to that end, he’d conveniently removed the local mood-ruiner by gifting him his old lab.

Percy was terribly excited at being assigned to the Explodatorium. 

‘It’s so roomy! Think of the ballistic experiments I could get up to?!’

Still, Plague Knight remained the owner of the place. Despite parting ways with it, he still seemed to feel responsible for it. Mona understood; she’d always be terribly worried about the Potionarium, even if she ever felt like leaving it behind. 

“When are you heading up?”

“Hee, well, I’d rush over immediately but I’m a little dazed from all the… hee! You know.”

Mona nodded. The adulation was a bit overwhelming.

“I don’t want to have to deal with all this and Percy at the same time. So… I think I’ll go next week, heehee! I might be gone a while though…”

“That’s fine. You know I can hold down the fort myself, right?” replied Mona, raising an eyebrow.

“Hee! Of course! Ah– after you!” 

They’d reached the carriage now, and the driver aboard had given them a salute indicating he was ready to take them home. Plague Knight opened the carriage door and swept his arm out grandly to usher Mona inside, his trailing sleeve flapping as he did so.  
Mona climbed in and he clambered up after her, scooching onto the seat next to her and slamming the door behind them. 

“…Ah… Haha, well, it’s just…” he swallowed and flinched a little as the carriage began to move, “I, uhh… I know you can hold down the fort, heehee! I suppose I’ll see you when I get back.”

Mona heard him swallow a sigh as he turned away to look out the window. She watched him for a few moments before leaning back and closing her eyes. The ride home would be a long one, and she had a feeling he was suddenly too shy to talk.

 

\- - -

 

“Visit upon me your greatest challenge! Do not hold back!!”

Mona gave a deep sigh and snapped her fingers.

The air in the Lich Yard was less dense and putrid than usual. Though the trees remained dead and the buildings derelict, there was a sense that things were changing… growing anew in stagnant waters. Just days ago, the new and old residents of the Yard had met to discuss the sins of the past, and an accord had been reached.  
After tonight, the living would return to the city of the dead they had once inhabited. This time, however, they were to live in harmony with their expired neighbours. It would be a fragile sort of peace, considering the trauma of the razing of the Yard and the old bad blood between the inhabitants. But at least a certain portion of the skeletal villagers were happy to see their more lively counterparts again.

“My daughter is coming back… I can finally see her again. I no longer serve The Enchantress!”

“I always meant to tell that barkeep I was only haunting his establishment to get his attention…”

“Never really hated the fleshies, me. They just smell…”

But the party being thrown was not in honour of the return of the living. It was for the man who’d once dominated the domain. Spectre Knight’s loyalest lackeys had decided to organize a little shin-dig for their deceased deputy. 

“It’s his going-away party!” the Super Skeleton closest to him had said, “Nobody really wants him around here anymore, and I don’t think he wants to stay, either. Something about old bones…” 

Mona had been recruited for entertainment purposes. Her game, Spin Ye Bottle, was a favourite of Spectre Knight’s. She hadn’t known, when she’d pitched the activity to him all those years ago, that the skeletal Knight would take to it so keenly. She’d been glad, of course– she’d only been using it as an excuse to spy on him and gain knowledge on The Enchantress… but she didn’t exactly want to be his friend. 

Yet even now, when it was all over and she could finally reveal her true intentions, she felt strangely compelled to keep quiet and give him his final game.  
She would never forgive Spectre Knight for what he’d done for the Order… but she felt a certain pity towards him, somehow.  
Besides, it was a little amusing to see the haughty, intimidating apparition turn into a boastful child whilst playing her game.

So here she was, in the Lich Yard, conjuring bottles for an overgrown invisishade to smack around like a Memmec after a rat.

“Ha! Hya! Ho!”

Spectre Knight dove through the air, slashing his scythe sharply, sending the bottle Mona had tossed at him bouncing merrily back and forth. The assembled undead and a few sympathetic living villagers clapped and cheered as he soared acrobatically over their heads. The cheers abruptly stopped, however, when the bottle fell to earth and smashed.

Spectre Knight was just shaking his fist at the sky as if the heavens themselves had distracted him, when a brittle boneclang wended her way through the crowd and tugged on his cloak. After a few moments of whispering between the two, Spectre Knight stiffened, then turned back to the crowd.

“I must take my leave. An urgent matter of business calls for my attention,” he turned to Mona and bowed, “Thank you for your time. If we meet again… I shall not fail.”

Mona sighed and waved limply, though secretly, she was quite excited to leave. Plague Knight was returning from his trip to the Explodatorium tonight, and she was eager to meet him when he got back.  
When it seemed appropriate, Mona got up, banished her desk and bid a hasty goodbye to the ghouls of the Lich Yard, before teleporting back to the Potionarium.

She arrived in her back room, feeling a little dazed. Teleportation was always something of a gamble for her, though it was easier when she knew the destination well. She stretched, then went to go sit back down at her desk. She conjured a quill and notebook and began working on her notes in the meantime. She always had about eight ideas swirling around in her head at any given time, and spent as much time as she could spare on developing them. Who knew when they would come in handy? 

She was just poring over a particularly frustrating formula when the collapsable wall into her room gave in with a crunch to reveal her partner.

“Oh! Mona! Hee!”

“Hey, Plague Knight. Welcome back.”

Plague Knight beetled over to her, a little skip in his step. It was almost like old times, though without the urgent sense of secrecy…

“Were you waiting up for me?” he asked, slyly, “How devoted! Heeheehee!”

“I was previously engaged,” said Mona, folding her arms, “…So I was only waiting a little while.”

She stood up before he could tease her any further and activated the Torque Lifts, taking them down into the lab proper.  
It was much quieter than it used to be. Many of the minions had left to visit their families. Now that the Serum Supernus venture was over, little minion labour was required. Besides that, The Valley no longer hated alchemists and those associated with Plague Knight, so they were free to go out into the open and do as they pleased. 

Only a few remained. Those that had no-one or nowhere else to go, or wanted to genuinely pursue their scientific studies. Things were much laxer these days…

“So, how was the Explodatorium?” asked Mona, sitting down at her desk once again and conjuring a seat for her partner, “Totally destroyed?” 

“Much less totally destroyed than I thought it would be,” said Plague Knight, hopping onto the provided resting place and leaning back comfortably, “Percy is moving all his catapults into the test ranges, heehee! Honestly, what more does he need to know about sending things flying?!”

“It probably takes a while to sink in for him,” said Mona, shrugging, “How’s the Magicist settling in?”

“Heh! Oh, much better. She knows her way around a lab.”

Well, that was good. The Magicist would be around to keep Percy from messing things up too badly. If she was alert enough, that was…  
Since the fall of the Tower, Percy and the Magicist had been going steady. Despite the Magicist’s unfocused nature and Percy’s serial skirt-chasing, the two seemed to be getting on like a vat on fire. Mona had begun to avoid them before they’d gone off to the Explodatorium; there was only so much cooing, kissing and cuddling she could take without feeling ill. 

“Do you regret it?” she asked, propping her chin up on one hand.

“Regret giving the lab away? Hee! Well…” Plague Knight waved his hand vaguely, “It still belongs to me. But… Heh… For a while there, it was really getting me down.”

Mona cocked her head, curiously.

“The lab itself, I mean. By association to the Order… it became a bit… hee! Ugly, you know?” Plague Knight chuckled, “Intimidation and mystique is all well and good, but The Enchantress’s brand of macabre wasn’t exactly mine.”

Mona twisted up her mouth. She understood what he was getting at. The Explodatorium wasn’t Plague Knight’s anymore, but the Order’s. Even if it was disbanded, the memories still festered. 

“Heh, besides… I like the Potionarium better,” said Plague Knight, sitting up a little straighter and looking away, “It’s… homier! Heehee!”

“Homier? Are alchemical labs supposed to be homey?” Mona asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Well, it doesn’t hurt,” replied Plague Knight, “It’s closer to The Village. We can open up commissions again..!”

Mona brightened, “Oh, yes! I liked those…”

She hadn’t gotten to work on any sort of commissions until the Essence collection started and she was put on bomb-design duty, but she had one enjoyable memory of meeting the Commission Team of the Explodatorium. Helping them find tricky solutions to curious problems had been quite amusing… it was something Mona liked a lot. She used to solve riddles and puzzles in her spare time, and these days, the clear future meant she could do anything… she could turn her love of inventing solutions into a career.  
A smile spread across her face unconsciously at the thought, and she only noticed when Plague Knight let out a little cackle and pointed.

“You’re smiling! Now we HAVE to open up commissions and put you in charge!”

Mona flushed and recoiled, “Wh-what? I– That’s silly logic. A smile doesn’t mean you have to do anything.”

“Doesn’t it though?” Plague Knight sighed, dreamily, before shaking his head and running a hand over his beak in embarrassment.

It seemed they’d both lost their composures a little.

“Hrm. Well. Don’t you want to be in charge of commissions?” asked Mona, recovering enough to pull her face back into its usual blank look of apathy.

“Heh, er… No, actually, I was thinking…” Plague Knight kicked his feet a little and peered down at his twisting hands in his lap, “I ah… hee! While I was at the Explodatorium, I had a chance to do a little… teaching. The herd’s thinning, have you noticed?”

She had.

“Most of the minions have left, except the ones who are really interested in alchemy, heehee! They’re pretty bright when they’re not surrounded by dullards! I held a class on transmutation the other day and there wasn’t a single singed robe or broken limb, heeheehee! It was, uhh… actually rather enjoyable.” 

Plague Knight continued to fidget shyly, “…I think I rather like teaching.”

Mona was silent for a few moments. This was a side of Plague Knight she’d only seen hints of before. Behind the maniacal bandit, there was something of a gentler soul. Or perhaps gentle wasn’t quite the right word… one could never remove the madness from the man, but there did seem to be a part of him that wanted to create as much as it liked to destroy.

“I think you’d be an excellent teacher,” she said, firmly, “You were always really good about explaining things carefully when you were passing techniques on to me.”

“Eheh––“ Plague Knight winced and tapped his fingers together, bashfully, “W-well, I… You’re a fellow genius, heeheehee! Of course you understood. The minions, though, even the cleverer ones, are a bit… thick.”

“But they’re willing. They’ll keep trying, so long as you’re willing to keep trying, too.”

Plague Knight still seemed hesitant, “Yes, well, I… It’s just that… Well, we both know what alchemy professors are like…”

Mona frowned.

“Are you talking about the ones at the Academy?”

She wondered, suddenly, where Plague Knight had learned most of his craft. He’d only been at the ill-fated Academy for a few months, and only then to steal supplies. He hadn’t needed to take instruction from the narcissistic and uninspired staff. Had he encountered similar people somewhere else?

“Ah…”

“Plague Knight, you’re not going to turn into one of them just because you become a teacher. You… you’re nothing like he was.”

“I…”

“You’d never hold anyone back. You never held me back. I’ve seen… I’ve seen hundreds of men get jealous of others’ success. Try to sabotage them. Undermine them. You’ve got your pride, and you don’t like it tarnished, but… This is different. You’re not like that. You… you always…”

It was one of the reasons she liked him so much. He’d always been so supportive of her progress and success. He’d helped her feel confident after a lifetime of being shut down and disapproved of. He was the only voice outside of her own that told her she could do what she set out to.

“You’re everything a good teacher should be. Maybe not quite as patient…” Mona knew he could get quite irate when faced with idiocy, “…but you… you’re…”

There was a long silence.

 

\- - -

 

“Wow, you’re great at carrying that sack!”

“Thanks! I’m a professional. You’re not too shabby yourself!”

“Aw, shucks, I’ve just had a lot of practice toting powders around, and such…”

The corridors of the Iron Whale echoed much louder than usual with wet, metallic footsteps as pairs of minions and villagers made their way back and forth, heaving huge bags of gold over their shoulders.

Mona bustled briskly amongst them, keeping an eye on the proceedings and cackling to herself slyly. It really was a peach of a deal… Now that Plague Knight was seen as something of a hero, he was naturally trusted by The Valley to possibly take on further heroic tasks. One such undertaking was the sacking -literally- of the Iron Whale.  
Treasure Knight had plundered vast amounts of gold from The Valley, leaving many villages destitute. Now that the Order had disbanded, however, and he was no longer under the protection of The Enchantress, the people believed it high time -or tide?- to get back what was theirs.

All they needed was a little extra bit of reinforcement… which Plague Knight was happy to provide when asked. Leading a team of his bulkiest minions, he’d blasted his way onto the floating treasure-trove and bombed its crew into submission.  
The path now clear, villagers stormed the stronghold and began taking back their valuables, all under the protective and watchful eye of the most intimidating minions available.

The most beautiful thing about the procedure was, of course, that nobody knew exactly how much money Treasure Knight had amassed. And from where. And from whom. No names were carved into the gold, unless they were personal trinkets, and all of it really rather blended together into a glittering golden heap in the vaults… Which meant that Plague Knight and his underlings could help themselves to whatever they could get away with carrying.  
Nobody bothered to question him! Treasure Knight was getting what he deserved, and the heroic Plague Knight was kindly helping justice run its course!  
Ooh, being a hero certainly had its perks.

As the last few men tottered out of the vaults, laden with treasure, Mona came to the mouth of the final, empty chamber and saw Plague Knight standing inside with a fisherman. Further on was Treasure Knight himself, sitting in a crumpled, defeated heap, head in his hands. 

“Serves yer right,” spat the fisherman, “After scarin’ all them fish! Stealin our wages! Here, ya greedy bastard, the last o’ me earnings..! The same kindness yer offered me! See how that does ya, haha!”

With a flick of his wrist, he sent a single copper flying through the air to land with a soft plunk in the water around Treasure Knight’s boots.

“Hee! I know a little fishy that isn’t afraid of him,” said Plague Knight, reaching into his robes. 

Before Mona could advise against it, Plague Knight tossed a Bait Bomb into the water and yanked the fishermen out of the room behind him.

“Did you have to?” Mona asked, half in disapproval, half in amusement, quickly falling into step beside them.

“Heehee! No revenge is complete without a little boom, eh?”

A rather large boom, in fact, sounded in the chamber behind them, and the fisherman let out a whoop of laughter.

“Yar! Yer alright for a lubber, Mr. Knight!”

Plague Knight waved a hand, “Hee! Oh please, you’re making me blush!”

Mona swallowed a snort and continued to run. There was another faint boom from behind them, and a quickly approaching clank of chains.  
Plague Knight smartly leapt into his two companions, pushing them to the side as an anchor promptly blew past them, then fell heavily to the ground and screeched against the metal floor as it was retracted.

“PLLGGHH NGGGHHTT!!!”

 

\- - -

 

The Lost City was quite a beautiful place, despite the resident hazards. Vaulted structures of old stone crowded its interior, rising up out of the volcanic earth as a petrified reminder of something great long past. These were intricately designed things; covered in carvings and patterns, thick with old writings of events that were all but forgotten… 

…Of course, it was a little hard to enjoy amidst the sweltering heat. The lava flow that had toppled the City in the first place still ribboned its way between its sunken towers, giving off a stifling glow.  
But here they were nonetheless, two alchemists and one quasi-archeologist, gathered together in an echoing chamber containing an enormous cauldron.  
Mona had banished the thing there herself from the Explodatorium. It was filling slowly with slime, which was cascading from some unseen vein in the ceiling. 

“So that’s really what Blorbs are made of?” Mona asked, curiously, peering up at the green goo and fanning herself with her cape. She probably should have dressed a little lighter…

“Pretty much. Under the right temperatures, it turns sentient and breaks off,” replied Mole Knight, following her gaze, “The running hypothesis is that most Blorbs in the land come from the Lost City… not that anyone’s interested in knowing that.” 

Mona shrugged, personally feeling it was quite interesting.  
Plague Knight’s chuckle echoed from behind the cauldron, along with the faint scrapes of his chalk. He was just finishing the minor details of the alchemical circle in which the huge iron pot was sitting.

“Hee! What are you two jabbering about?” he said, appearing around one side of the cauldron, across from where Mona was standing. 

“The existence of Blorbs,” said Mona, flatly, “We’re on topic.”

“Oh, yes, so you are,” said Plague Knight, nodding, “The heat’s getting to me, heehee!”

It was getting to Mona, too. She was naturally hot -her normal body temperature being a few degrees higher than the average person- and the heat of the Lost City was only compounding with that to make her very sweaty indeed. This strange, personal quirk was helpful when it was cold, and suited her to the Potionarium -who’s underground confines were naturally cool- but it made visiting Mole Knight’s domain a misery.

She would put up with it, though; today’s experiment was very much worth it. They were lucky to be down here, anyway; if not for Mole Knight’s inexplicably mentorly feelings towards her partner, it would have been very hard to orchestrate their current activities indeed. 

“Hee! Anyway– I completed the circle!” cried Plague Knight, brandishing his chalk triumphantly.

“And you’re sure it’s all correct? You were just saying the heat was getting to you…” replied Mona, smirking.

“It’s perfectly fine!! Now! Mole Knight, if you please…”

Mole Knight turned to his erstwhile colleague, “So, lemme get this straight, again… I don’t want anything exploding down here.”

Plague Knight giggled impatiently, “There’s no way you can mess this up! Just use that pyromancy of yours to heat the cauldron! Quickly now– heehee! Before it spills over!”

Mole Knight sighed and shook his head, then waddled under the cauldron and took on a wide stance. He curled his claws inwards before him, then flung them out to either side. With a sound like a thunderclap, the Knight burst into flames, bright orange tongues leaping off of his armour and licking the bottom of the huge pot. Simultaneously, Plague Knight flicked his staff and activated the alchemical circle.  
Mona flinched backwards as a wave of scalding heat hit her, but relaxed as she heard a faint bubbling sound issuing from above. Yes, just as planned..!

A few moments later, there was a loud splash as globs of slime began to pop out of the cauldron. As they fell through the air, their forms changed, becoming human-like in appearance.

“HEE! It’s working!” cried Plague Knight, excitedly, fanning himself with one of his long sleeves.

Mona joined in his frenzied cackles as the new and improved batch of Slimulacra came into the world.

“Weehee! That should be enough, yes?” called the little alchemist, over to his partner, as a swarm of gooey bodies filled the area.

“I think so,” Mona called back, cheerfully.

“Hee! Alright, Mole Knight, you may cease your magics…”

Mole Knight straightened up, the raging fire around him dying down, and walked out from under the cauldron.

“What are these things, anyway?” he asked, peering at the nearest upright blob, which promptly tried to assume his shape. It had to meld with another of its kind to imitate his girth.

“Slimulacra,” replied Plague Knight, “Alchemical constructs made of sludge with rudimentary intelligence. These ones, however, are a little more -hee!- advanced than the usual…”

“The slime from your City actually has a form of sentience, as you were explaining,” Mona continued, picking up from her partner, smoothly, “meaning that these Slimulacra are essentially larger, more mobile and useful Blorbs. And…”

She glanced over at Plague Knight, excitedly, who stiffened in anticipation and waved at Mole Knight.

“Light one up! HEE!”

Mole Knight sighed. 

“You could say please, once in a while,” he muttered, before flicking his claw at a nearby Slimulacrum.

With a loud WHOOMPH, the thing burst into flames… and yet, it still retained its form. It jumped a little at suddenly being set alight, but then carried on with its business, wandering towards Plague Knight and promptly sinking down to imitate his form. Mona watched it, glee rising up through her stomach, into her chest.  
Long ago, back when she and Plague Knight had first met, they’d attempted to create a Slimulacrum out of flames. An ‘Inflammitation’, as she’d dubbed it. Though the construct had been deeply flawed, and had lived only for mere minutes, it was still the first project they’d fully collaborated on.  
And now the concept was revived, only better and more stable, born of a simple, yet genius idea… A symbol of how far they’d come together, and how much they’d grown. It warmed Mona’s heart– which, unfortunately, she really didn’t need right now.

Plague Knight seemed similarly fatigued by the heat. His chuckles were wheezier than ever, and he had sunk onto his bottom and conjured a large glass bottle of… something, which he was gulping down gratefully.

“Cooling concoction!” he called, answering her unspoken question, “Care for a sip?”

“Don’t mind if I do…” replied Mona, stepping down off the stone platform she’d been occupying, and walking towards her partner.

“Hey!” Mole Knight turned to the pair indignantly as Mona came to sit down next to Plague Knight, “What am I, chopped liver? What’re we gonna do with all of these things?!”

Plague Knight shook himself a little and passed his straw to Mona, glancing up at the annoyed Knight, “Oh, heehee, yes, of course! My dear Mole, I wish to acquire more of this excellent slime from you!”

Mole Knight sighed deeply at the flighty pair. Mona supposed it was rather rude of them to treat him as a living bunsen burner, but they tended to get a little caught up in science when they were performing it together. They were used to it just being the two of them… 

“Just place an order with me and I’ll carve you out of a bushel of the stuff,” grumbled Mole Knight. 

“Hee! Actually, why don’t we just take what’s in that cauldron?”

Mole Knight folded his arms -or placed one on top of the other, as was his only option- and probably frowned deeply under his helmet.

“That stuff’s an export of mine. You’d better be able to pay.”

“It’s more of a natural resource,” countered Plague Knight, petulantly.

“That’s under MY jurisdiction,” growled Mole Knight, “Don’t play dumb with me, Plague Knight. I know you’re not stupid.”

Plague Knight shrugged, “You’re right! Heehee! I’m incredibly brilliant! And of course I can pay. It happens that I’ve recently come into quite a bit of gold…”

Mona snickered into her straw. Now that the cooling concoction was working its alchemy, she could concentrate a little more on the subtleties of what the two Knights were saying. 

Plague Knight turned to her, then, “Won’t you fetch a little for our fine furrowing friend, my dear?”

Mona flushed a little at the term of endearment, dropping the straw back into the bottle of potion, and Plague Knight flinched, realizing what he’d said.

“I-I-I mean, p-partner, would you please-–“

“Yes,” Mona muttered and raised her left hand. A moment later, an entire treasure chest appeared next to Mole Knight. The lock disappeared, and the lid released, slightly. Mole Knight stuck the tip of a long, orange claw tentatively underneath and flipped the chest open.

Sure enough, the thing was filled with gold and jewels. 

“It’s pure,” Plague Knight assured, “And imported, I think.”

Mole Knight dug through the chest carefully, inspecting the contents, before straightening up and nodding.

“Alright. That’ll do. You can take the cauldron and all these… things. But I tell ya, if you really wanna run things efficiently down there…”

Mona tuned out at this point, concentrating on banishing the cauldron of slime and the Slimulacra back to the labs. With a loud snap, the objects disappeared in a flash of blue light, and Mona stood up. Mole Knight seemed like he wanted to continue talking, but Plague Knight interrupted him before he could.

“Hee! Well, nice seeing you!” called the little alchemist, blithely, hopping up next to Mona and taking ahold of her skirts, “See you next time we need slime! And, uhhh, combustable council, hee hee hee!” 

And before the bulbous red Knight could protest, the pair were gone in a wink.

 

\- - - 

 

“Fascinating..! Absolutely fascinating…” 

“Er, you… really think so..?”

Mona stood nervously next to her partner, watching the tiny Knight before them scamper around her completed demonstration. It had taken a bit of finagling to transplant the Torque Lifts successfully into Tinker Knight’s workshop, but Mona had managed. Now, the humble rotating platforms were being inspected by someone Mona rather considered something of an idol.

Tinkering had been Mona’s first love. Since she was a child, she’d been obsessed with seeing how things worked. Unfortunately, being born a noble meant that working with her hands was out of the question… Her parents had allowed her to study alchemy only because it was mostly a scholarly pursuit. 

But now that she was out of their clutches, she could do anything she wanted… and tinkering was one of those things. Born of such desires were the Torque Lifts, the Dynamo Decanter, the burner gauntlets and nearly every gadget inside the Explodatorium and Potionarium. And all the while she was building them, she was hearing stories about Tinker Knight, the brilliant machinist, master of the Clockwork Tower and inventor extraordinaire.  
She didn’t like to admit it, but she found she had something of a celebrity crush on him. Not the romantic type, of course– that rather confusing and nerve-wracking honour went to her dear partner. But she did admire the tiny Knight enough to become rather shy and tongue-tied in his presence. Especially when it came to her own inventions. She felt like she was back in school, being examined by a favourite instructor.  
Even simply being inside the Clockwork Tower filled her with nervous excitement. The place was a marvel of modern machinery; nearly all of it was composed out of moving parts, yet it remained as stable as a tightly drilled screw. Scores of criss-crossing conveyer belts, complex networks of enormous gears, a whole wing of moving platform systems… it was an engineer’s paradise..! 

“These are brilliant,” said Tinker Knight, finally turning back to the alchemists and patting the side of the Lifts with one large, gloved hand, “Y’know, I once built a very similar type of gizmo…”

Mona winced a little, “O-oh?”

“But I could never figure out how to get’em to move on their own. Now that I’m looking at yours, though, the answer seems obvious! And as someone who uses drills as much as I do, I probably should’a seen it earlier. Heh! You’ve got a brain in there, Ms. Mopes. Maybe you can share a bit of it with Plague Knight; stop’im from being such an idiot.” 

Plague Knight squawked indignantly and Mona blushed, resisting the urge to hide behind her hair. 

“Hee! Look who’s talking!” Plague Knight cried, “You couldn’t even build a bomb-proof mech!”

Tinker Knight immediately stiffened, taking a step towards the alchemist.

“And you couldn’t figure out how to do a couple’a push-ups to ask a girl out!”

“W-w-what does that have to do with intelligence?!” squeaked Plague Knight, recoiling.

“Emotional intelligence, dummy,” said Tinker Knight, folding his arms.

“Well, how can Mona fix my emotional intelligence with her technical intelligence? Hee! That makes no sense! NOW WHO’S THE IDIOT, HEE HEE HEE?!”

Mona ran a hand over her face and groaned.

“Plaguey, why don’t we give Tinker Knight a final demonstration of the Lifts? If he wants to recreate them, he needs to get a good idea of how they operate…” 

“Hee! Alright..!”

Mona snapped her fingers discretely, causing the Lifts to descend to the ground. Once they were fully stopped, she daintily stepped onto the middle of the nearest platform. Plague Knight promptly took the one two spaces down. Tinker Knight was just about to mount the platform in the middle when Plague Knight kicked his foot into the grooves and manually started the ascent. Tinker Knight cried out in surprise as the Lifts shuddered to life, whirling up past him and forcing him to jump back.

Plague Knight let out a mischievous cackle, which was quickly swallowed by a yelp and a gag as the dizziness caught up with him. Mona couldn’t help but smirk. He really was an idiot. A really stupid, dumb, endearing idiot…

 

\- - -

 

“Phew. I think that’s everything in the itinerary,” Mona muttered, sinking down onto the bed at the inn they were staying at, “I can’t wait to head home… Incidentally, why aren’t we teleporting back..?”

She glanced across at the bed adjacent to hers, where her partner was sitting, peering through a notebook. They’d been all over The Valley in recent weeks, checking in with ex-Order members for various reasons, running errands for villagers and for their labs… But now, with the visit to the Clockwork Tower out of the way, it seemed they were finally finished. Mona was missing her cozy little desk pretty badly…

“Eheh… Uhhh, we actually have… er… one more thing to do… heeheehee…”

Mona frowned at Plague Knight, sitting up a little and cocking her head, “What? I could have sworn installing the Lifts at Tinker’s was the last thing on our list…” 

“Eehee..! Yes! Well! On our list, yes,” replied Plague Knight, tentatively, tapping his index fingers together, “But, uhhh… There’s one last thing… I was thinking… we might… do…”

Mona propped her head up on one hand, “Go on, spill it. What have you got up your sleeve..?”

“Nothing!” squeaked Plague Knight, “Nothing up my sleeves but my bombs! You put them there!”

“Yes… but what are you suggesting?” asked Mona, slowly, feeling a little unnerved by Plague Knight’s sudden bout of anxiety. Exactly what was he up to..?

“Heh… Haha… Hee…” Plague Knight swallowed, audibly, then glanced down at his lap, “I, ah… I was, uhh… As I was getting in touch with my… with my old colleagues, heehee… I happened to have a nice little chat with Propeller Knight…”

Mona nodded, raising an eyebrow, “Oh yeah? Did he give you those flying lessons he offered?”

“What? Oh, no–“ Plague Knight coughed and drummed his fingers against his knees, “He uhh… He was talking about how he’s allowed to use the Flying Machine as his own personal playhouse again… And, well, you know… It’s really… scenic up there…”

There was a long silence and another swallow. 

“…IbookedusadateontheFlyingMachinehopeyoudon’tmind.”

Mona took a moment to decipher the string of syllables. Then she blinked.

“I– A-a date?”

“D-did I call it a date?”

“Yes.”

“H…Hee! Well! Yes! I-I-I suppose I did! I mean– I s-suppose it is, heehee! I-if, uuhh, i-if you’d like– I mean, if you…”

“Yes!” Mona blurted out before she could fully think through her proceeding words, “I-I mean… Yeah. Sure. I’d like to go.” 

Plague Knight let out an audible sigh of relief and keeled backwards onto his mattress.

“Oh thank goodness. Hee! It’s tomorrow, at around six…”

Mona nodded and sank back into her sheets as well, a bit blue in the face.  
Wow… An actual date. The kind of thing people who were… dating did. Did this officially mean they were a couple? Or did it mean they were beginning the process of becoming one?  
Mona had little idea of the intricacies of romance. It was a science outside her scope. All she knew was how she felt. And despite her feelings being a little confusing at times, she knew deeply and truly that she liked Plague Knight. A lot. A lot a lot. And if this was the start of the road down which they grew closer, she had no objections to racing to it.

Besides… she wasn’t one to pass up a free trip to the Flying Machine..!


	2. The Date

The next day, Mona awoke to the sound of pacing nearby. She opened her eyes and peered furtively over the edge of her covers to see Plague Knight walking back and forth. He was clearly fretting over something, with his beak pointed towards the ground and his movements a little jerkier than usual.

Mona watched him silently for a few moments before speaking up.

“Careful,” she muttered.

Plague Knight let out a strangled yelp and jumped a foot in the air. Mona stifled a snicker and languidly sat up, “…You might wear a hole in the floor.” 

“M-Mona! Good morning! Eheehee! How… How did you sleep?”

“Like a log. You?”

“Uhh…”

Mona sighed and stood up. No point in pestering her poor partner to speak when he seemed so nervous. Mona bent over slightly and did her best to brush the wrinkles out of her purple robes. She wasn’t quite confident enough to sleep in a shift in her partner’s presence, yet. It was a bit hard on her poor gown, but modesty was more important than a few displeasing folds.

“Heh, er, anyway..! W-why don’t we go down and have breakfast?” Plague Knight spoked up, finding his voice again, “We’ve got the morning to do as we please… then we should, um, get going at around noon, heehee…”

Of course. To the Flying Machine. That’s why he was so nervous… The trip would probably take a few hours on foot, and Mona wasn’t quite confident enough to teleport there reliably yet.

“Right, of course. Let’s… go.”

There was a decidedly awkward feeling hanging in the air as they descended to the first floor of the inn. They were currently staying in the largest settlement in the Third Quadrant, which happened to be quite close to both the Clockwork Tower and the Flying Machine. It wasn’t nearly as large as The Village or the Armour Outpost, but it was big enough to actually contain an inn to stay at.  
They quietly ordered breakfast and ate in silence. Part of it was about keeping any unnecessary attention away from themselves; they were a pretty eye-catching pair, and they weren’t at all interested in being disturbed. But there was also the sense of jittery anticipation for the coming event keeping their tongues tied.

As far as Mona knew, neither of them had ever gone on a date before. Mona knew a little bit about that sort of thing since she’d been schooled in courtly etiquette by her governesses. But there was a vast difference between the courting performed by nobles to one another, and the more down-to-earth, run-of-the-mill date she was in for. These were the ones Percy often spoke of, and that Mona had to sit through in the hundreds while in his presence.

According to Percy, the basics of dating were as follows.

Take the object of your affections somewhere. Preferably somewhere nice.  
Present them with some kind of gift. Preferably something nice.  
Flatter their brains out. Mostly through poetry. Preferably, poetry that was nice.

This would hopefully result in the two lovebirds eventually winging their way back to the nest and… well. At that point in the explanation, Mona always did her best to interrupt Percy or get as far out of earshot as possible. She had no interest in hearing about his… escapades. 

But now it was her turn to experience the joys of romance, however stressful they would be. She was definitely glad that it was Plague Knight making the first move. She glanced across the table at him over her nearly-finished salad, feeling a fondness creep up into her chest.   
After being so timid and uncertain, it really was impressive that he had taken the plunge and planned out their first romantic rendezvous. Mona felt like she should say something. Thank him… Praise him? Show him her gratitude for taking initiative.   
But just as she was about to stammer out something vaguely appreciative, Plague Knight suddenly leapt up from the table.

“Hee! Sorry to dash, but I have something to pick up… I-I’ll meet you outside that weird statue in the middle of town!”

Mona nodded, a little taken aback but not too surprised. It was common for Plague Knight to make abrupt decisions or announcements. He spoke a fair bit, but she knew it was only a fraction of the cacophony going on inside his head.

She waved goodbye to him as he scurried out of the inn, then languidly finished her salad and got up to leave. At first, she felt a little uncertain as to what to do next… but then she noticed the creases in her skirts again. It was about time to get her clothes cleaned.

Exiting the inn, Mona made her way into town and set about looking for a laundry. As she walked through the streets, she let her eyes wander to the thoroughfare around her. It had been some time since she’d had so much contact with the outside world. During the Enchantress’s regime, she’d mainly stayed in the tavern at The Village, and down in her labs. The minions, and more rarely, the bar-goers were her only source of social interaction.   
Mona was a rather introverted person and liked to keep to herself, but she did often find herself missing the freedom to go wherever she liked. She didn’t mind being surrounded by people, just so long as she didn’t have to talk to them. People-watching and eavesdropping were both perfectly fine, even if they weren’t the most savoury of activities. 

Mona quietly watched pedlars pushing carts and children rolling hoops, wondering vaguely what was going on in their lives, until she managed to find the laundry.   
Stepping out of the street, Mona closed her eyes and stiffened in concentration. Summoning and banishing her lab clothes was hardly worth the bat of an eye anymore, but she needed both them and her plum-coloured dress washed. Finding a third, serviceable outfit to wear in the meantime took a little more focus.  
She eventually managed to find an old pinkish frock she sometimes used on outings into The Village, and made the switch. In less than a blink, her robes fell to the ground in a heap, and Mona was suddenly in a completely different outfit, save for her boots and the blue jewel ever-affixed to her neckline. Once she was finished picking up her robes, she entered the laundry, carrying her clothes under one arm.

The launders and laundresses inside glanced up as she entered, then froze, staring at her with wide eyes. Mona sighed quietly and placed her clothing on the counter. She wasn’t particularly perturbed by the gaping. She knew why they were unnerved.   
Those in The Village knew her -or of her- and thus weren’t too bothered by her green skin. Out here, so close to the Fourth Quarter, however, Mona knew their reactions would be a little more… intense. 

She calmly conjured her coin purse and spoke up, “Excuse me, I’d like to have a load done… as quickly as possible. By noon, actually.”

The woman behind the counter looked between Mona and her coworkers. 

“They won’t be dry by then,” she replied, finally, her voice slightly cold.

Mona remained impassive, “Drying isn’t an issue. I just need them cleaned. How much?”

The woman hesitated again before sweeping the load into her arms, “Five hundred gold. For bulk.”

Mona knew this was far above the usual pricing for a laundry, but didn’t object. She simply placed the requested amount in alchemical gold on the table and went to go sit on one of the benches set up for waiting patrons.   
She amused herself in the meantime by summoning her notebook and going through the contents. The most recent pages were taken up by financial figures, but those just before it were occupied by entries on the Serum Supernus.

It was interesting to go through the old scribbles after having seen the final product. The formula itself was all correct, except for the calculations on the resulting emission of energy. They’d completely underestimated the initial surge of power from the Serum; in fact, they’d hardly expected it to radiate at all. Most complicated alchemical brews gave off a sudden explosion or puff of smoke once completed, as all the elements clashed and settled down together… but the Serum Supernus’s full distillation had been decidedly tumultuous. In fact, it had nearly claimed Plague Knight’s life…

Mona’s thoughts drifted to her partner as she closed her book and stared off at nothing in particular. She wondered what he was up to. He’d said he was off to go get something… probably related to the date. Or maybe not. She supposed she’d find out when she met him at the town square.

Luckily, Mona had managed to daydream the time away, and before she knew it she was being called up to the front desk again to receive her wet clothing.

“Thank you for your business, ma’am,” said the launder who had brought them, a young man this time, and rather more timid than the previous woman.

“Mm,” said Mona, bowing shortly before taking her clothes back and leaving the establishment. She didn’t mind the rather hostile climate. She was used to people being uncomfortable around her.

Once she was outside, she searched around for a clear stretch of ground, and eventually found some on a slightly more out-of-the-way road that was not cobbled. She laid down her clothing and traced a circle around them.  
Years ago, she’d developed a process for drying things quickly. The method never stopped being useful, whether in her scientific pursuits or in every day life.  
In a few moments, her clothing was all perfectly dry and ready to be worn once again. With a snap of her fingers, Mona swapped out her frock for her lab clothes, and gave a sigh of relief. She always felt the most comfortable confined by its weighted cloth. 

By the light of the sun and the shadows on the ground, Mona surmised that it was about time to meet her partner. She set off towards the town square, which, despite her short time in it, was quite easy to find. This was mainly because of its star attraction; a huge metal statue of a knight in shining armour, with the sign of the Holy Ship emblazoned on his coat of arms. He stood in a stalwart stance, raising a huge shovel towards the sky. Despite the birds that often perched on his shoulders, he was remarkably clean…  
It might be an odd sight, if Mona didn’t know that the Third Quarter was the birthplace of the Shovelric Code. Many guardsmen, knights and even adventurers from the area adhered to that most ancient code of heroic, digging-based conduct. These days, it was a little antiquated and most people outside of the third quarter didn’t know a thing about it, but here it was still a venerable and beloved practice.   
Here, Plague Knight was less fawned over, as the Third Quarter was more enamoured with their reigning hero, Shovel Knight. They’d even tacked a pair of horns onto their statue, to honour him specifically.  
Plague Knight, despite being a little sour over having to share his fame with that blue galoot, seemed glad of the peace this affection afforded him. 

Mona approached the statue, craning her neck to look up at it. She wondered how it had survived the Enchantress’s reign intact, though perhaps it had only been defaced in a manner opposite to its new pair of shiny horns.  
She sat down on the edge of the stone pedestal it sat upon, a little ways away from the others occupying the space, and drew up her hood.   
She sat there and stared blankly out at the crowd, vaguely keeping an eye out for a short figure in dark blue… Her eyes, however, were quickly drawn to a distracting flash of gold approaching from the left. She frowned, slightly, turning to focus on it properly. Who on earth was wandering around a little village like this in such gaudy cloth––

It was Plague Knight. The stature and gait were unmistakable, as well as the shape of the outfit he was wearing. Yet, the colouring…  
Plague Knight usually favoured dark colours; they helped him be both intimidating and stealthy. This… dandyish ensemble wasn’t his style at all.  
Despite being of the same make, the thing gleamed like a newly minted coin, a bright, buttery golden colour that seemed to sparkle like waves in the sunlight. His copper chains and pauldrons were a similar colour, though they retained less of a glitter and more of a metallic sheen. His tights and under-armour were now peacock-blue and stood out almost painfully against the overwhelming yellow of the rest of his getup. Even his mask -an unfamiliar, sharp, white one that she’d never seen before- was gilded with golden patterns. Mona choked back a guffaw.

“Mona! There you are!” called Plague Knight as he approached, ignoring the stares of passersby. 

“Heh, hi!” said Mona, unable to keep a hint of amusement out of her voice, “So this is what you were picking up, huh? Did you have all of Treasure Knight’s stash converted into this… little number?”

Plague Knight winced and tapped his fingers together, “Hee..! Oh, er, no… It wasn’t nearly as expensive as all that… I just thought I ought to d-dress up a little…” 

Mona’s mirth subsided, and she felt a little guilty instead. As silly as he looked, he was clearly making an effort… one she certainly wasn’t.

“I– Oh… should I change, too?” she asked, uncertainly. She didn’t really have anything to change into, save that pink frock. If she’d known in advance, she might have tailored herself something for the occasion…

“Hee! No, you look r-ravishing already,” Plague Knight replied, almost choking on the descriptor. 

Mona smirked, slightly. She knew he was probably experimenting with complements -and what he could say without going to pieces- but all the same, she was a little flattered. She usually brushed off complements about her looks, placing no value in them. But coming from him… it seemed more genuine.

“Well… If we’re both looking radiant,” said Mona, getting to her feet and taking down her hood, “I guess we should head out, then..!”

“Hee! Yes, yes– Onwards!” replied Plague Knight, cheerily.

After a moment of hesitation, he held out his arm, accompanied by a small bow. Mona gave a little exhalation of amusement and took it. Because of the height difference, the maneuver was a bit awkward, but it was also rather nice, just the same.

 

The trip up to the Flying Machine’s docking place was a long one. At first, the pair spent the time chatting about their recent adventures, and what they hoped of accomplishing in the future. The topic of Plague Knight’s possible teaching career was brought up again, soon followed by Mona’s aspirations towards opening up an alchemical shop in the back room… However, anxiety set in deeper and deeper as they neared the base of the mountain, and they soon found themselves trailing off into silence

Upon finally arriving, there were clear signs of work being done in the area. Tall poles were being fixed into the rock by a workforce recognizably comprised of both Tinker and Propeller Knights’ men. 

“Are you here for a booking?” asked a nearby Hover Haft, buzzing over to them smartly.

“Yes! It’s Plague Knight,” said the little alchemist, wiggling his fingers in greeting at the worker, “Remember me?”

Clearly, the ‘Haft did, as he hovered back, slightly. Mona wondered if he had been one of the ones Plague Knight had dispatched during his run of the Flying Machine. 

“Ah, right. The reservation for the Sunset Deck…” the ‘Haft trailed off as he looked up at Mona.

Mona stared back, face sullen. The ‘Haft looked between the two alchemists, then saluted, “Uh, well! Better get you up to the ship! The boss’ll be waiting for you! …The gondola isn’t nearly finished yet, but we’ve got fleetships on standby…”

Moments later, Mona and Plague Knight boarded one of Propeller Knight’s tiny sky-skiffs, and were flown up the mountain and towards the gangplank of the Flying Machine.   
After being dropped off, a team of friendly wind-mages directed them into the ship. 

From Plague Knight’s appreciative whistle, this was not the area he’d had to battle through when he’d gone after Propeller Knight’s Essence.   
It hardly looked like the inside of an airship at all. From the plush red carpets on the floors to the mouldings and paintings hung on the walls, the inside of the Flying Machine resembled a classy chateaux more than a sky-vessel. The light coming in through the huge glass windows gave everything a bright, inviting air, and sent warm glows of honey-gold bouncing off the shiny mahogany furniture.

“Wow! Is saying I really want to rob this place a valid complement, heehee?”

There were more Hover Hafts inside the ship, and they politely lead the pair through the hallways, up several flights of stairs, under a pair of floating chandeliers -were they chandeliers..?- and finally to a windy, open deck with a spectacular view of the clouds. It was there that they were greeted by the captain himself.

Propeller Knight strode forwards confidently, his namesake contraption currently not attached to his gleaming helmet. He was dressed, as was his wont, in one of his strange foreign ensembles; an oddly cut black doublet, narrow trousers, and a crisp white blouse with a funny, slim cravat. 

“Ahh! Here you are, right on time! I suppose punctuality was never one of your problem, mon ami– though I’m used to a more explosive entran…”

The Knight suddenly trailed off as he properly took the pair in. He glanced from partner to partner, much as his underling had at the base of the mountain, then promptly snatched Plague Knight up and dragged him behind one of the huge propellers mounted on the deck.

Mona stared after them in bewilderment and strained her ears to catch what they were saying. Unfortunately, she could only catch a few words beneath the noisy thupping sound of the mechanisms. Something about a ‘lucky dog’ from Propeller Knight, and a whole volley of angry insults from Plague Knight.

When the little alchemist returned, his body language seemed rather indignant, while Propeller Knight seemed absolutely ecstatic. 

“Ho ho ho! Well, let’s not waste anymore time, no? Welcome to the Flying Machine! I am Propeller Knight, as I’m sure you know, and I shall be your dashing host today! Charmed to make your acquaintance, mademoiselle.”

Propeller Knight held out his hand towards Mona, and she took it. The Knight brushed his helmet to her knuckles and Plague Knight made an annoyed little sound from beside her.

“Relax. It’s noble custom,” said Mona, gently. 

“Not from him it isn’t,” her partner replied, darkly.

Mona pursed her lips, ruefully. She knew she’d tried to use Propeller Knight’s reputation to make Plague Knight jealous in the past, but truthfully, she was far more interested in the ship than its captain.

“Now, let us get you two seated! Alons-y!”

Propeller Knight lead the pair to a single table in the very middle of the deck. It looked rather silly, sitting on its own, supporting two sets of crockery and a single candelabra. To her great interest, Mona noticed that the flames atop the candlesticks were not listing at all, despite the wind. As soon as she sat down, she discovered why; it seemed Propeller Knight’s mages had placed the area in a small, weather-tight bubble. How clever..!

“A menu for the gentleman,” said Propeller Knight, placing a small black booklet in front of Plague Knight, “And a menu for the bewitching lady..!”

Mona took hers with a small nod, and opened it. She took the opportunity to hide behind it, a little, to cover her nervousness. It didn’t help that Propeller Knight was standing at attention beside them.  
Plague Knight seemed to share her sentiment.

“…You can go,” he grumped at the taller Knight.

“But how will I take your order if I am not here?” replied Propeller Knight, blithely. 

“And how are we to choose a meal with you breathing down our necks? HEE! Scram!”

Propeller Knight sighed and strode off, muttering something about this being a ‘favour’ but ‘not expecting anything else from Plague Knight’.

Plague Knight heaved a tiny sigh of relief and went back to his menu. Mona stared hard into hers, reading the options over and over again without really taking in their meaning. Just as she was able to bully her brain into concentrating, Plague Knight piped up.

“Hee! There’s Bish– er– Biskew!” 

Mona put down her menu and looked over in confusion. Plague Knight had one of his long, narrow nails pointed to an item on the ‘soups’ page. 

“Oh..! Bisque!”

The creamy fish stew was something of a personal favourite of theirs. It had been the first meal they’d eaten on coming to The Valley together, and it brought back warm memories. 

“Heh, I’ll bet it’s really fancy up here,” said Plague Knight, “What do you think?”

“Two helpings of bisque it is.”

Mona propped her chin up on her hand and smiled. This was turning out to be pretty okay. Not that she’d expected a disaster, exactly -she wasn’t dating a minion, after all- but the experience had definitely hatched a whole kaleidoscope of butterflies in her stomach.

“Seems like forever since we had it last,” she said, softly.

“Heehee, yeah…” Plague Knight put down his menu and rested his fingers on the tablecloth, “Did you ever find out how to make it?”

“Still haven’t, no. I was a little busy cooking up bombs instead,” she replied, with a faint smirk, “We should learn to make it together, though, some time.”

“Hee! A fine idea!” there was a definite beam in Plague Knight’s tone of voice.

He went quiet a moment later, and began to fidget, though his ornate beak stayed pointed mainly in Mona’s direction. She stared back, head propped up, a grin tugging at her lips.   
They sat there staring at each other for some time, perhaps even meeting the requirements for what Percy liked to call ‘getting lost in one another’s eyes’… Though Plague Knight’s weren’t exactly visible. Mona didn’t know if he was looking back at her, but there was definitely some kind of silent connection…

Which was suddenly broken by the sound of footsteps.

“Ehem! May I take your order, now..?”

The weather-proof sphere around them was very comfortable, but unfortunately adept at dampening sounds from outside. Plague Knight flinched so badly he nearly toppled over in his chair, and Mona drew back, sharply. She did, however, have a moment to think that Plague Knight must have indeed been staring at her; otherwise he would have seen Propeller Knight coming.

The tall Knight was standing to attention beside their table with a large silver tray in one hand and a towel draped over the other arm. 

“Hee! Ever heard of knocking?!” squawked Plague Knight indignantly, as he righted himself and adjusted his hood. 

“Hoho– Knock on what, ami?” asked Propeller Knight, a smirk evident in his voice as he leaned over their table to place clear glasses of water in front of them from his tray.

“We’d like some Beesk,” grumbled Plague Knight, clearly unable to come up with anything to parry his question. 

“Bisque it is. Two helping?”

“Yes.”

“And a juice pairing..?”

Plague Knight flinched, “I ah-– a-a what?”

“A juice pairing– you do, of course, want a juice pairing?”

From the way he was floundering, Mona could tell Plague Knight had not anticipated this hurdle. Mona hadn’t learned anything about culinary pursuits during her time as a noble; all her choices in meals were made for her by the manor or palace staff. She knew, in theory, the business of juice-pairing, but couldn’t offer any advice on it.  
She did, however, know how to deflect uncomfortable questions.

“Surprise us,” she said, flatly, staring Propeller Knight in the helmet, “You’re the expert.”

“Hoh! An excellent choice, mademoiselle,” replied Propeller Knight in amusement. From his tone of voice, Mona guessed he’d caught her trick, but wasn’t going to make anything of it. Thank goodness.

“Two helping of bisque… and a surprise me,” he turned on his shiny heels and waved, “I shan’t be long..!”

Plague Knight let out a disgruntled sigh and popped a straw into his glass of water, “That twirly twit…”

He sat morosely in his chair, one hand occupied with his beverage, the other fidgeting at his belt. Mona leaned back in her chair, feeling the awkwardness crawl back up her spine. Great… and just when they’d sort of been having a moment.  
Mona wracked her brains to find something to say as the silence stretched longer and longer. Her mind immediately jumped to further scientific discussion or the potential process of making bisque. Her ability to concentrate, however, seemed to be a little stunted. She quickly got distracted by her own topics of conversation, mentally puzzling out the possible ingredients of bisque, until Plague Knight roused her by clearing his throat. 

“Ah–? Sorry, I was… Did you say something?” she asked, looking over at him.

“I-I just cleared my throat,” replied Plague Knight, quietly.

“Oh.”

“Erm, but I do have something to say,” he continued, “It’s ah… Right here on…”

He was digging around in his robes, head down and shoulders hunched, as if trying to find whatever he was looking for and hide it from Mona at the same time. Eventually, he came up holding a crumpled piece of paper in his hands. He raised it up in front of his beak in slightly trembling fingers.

“…Erhem,” Plague Knight swallowed, took a deep breath and then… sat there, frozen, in silence. From the way he was hesitating, Mona was beginning to suspect what was on the paper. Plague Knight wilted, then took a large slurp of his water before trying again.

He started off with a decidedly squeaky utterance, “My… My l… My love is a f… f… fever––“

“Et voilà! Le jus..!”

Plague Knight let out a high pitched screech and dropped the paper in his hands as Propeller Knight once again butted in, carrying a tray which supported a large bottle.   
The relinquished paper, as papers were wont to do, drifted through the air in a decidedly unpredictable way, making it difficult for Plague Knight to recapture it. He grabbed for it desperately, but the little leaf slipped out of his fingers, and then out of their bubble, where it was quickly whipped away by the strong winds outside.

Plague Knight let out a little burble of dismay which was barely audible past Propeller Knight filling their crystal flutes with a generous amount of bright orange liquid. Mona swallowed a little giggle. She did feel sorry for him, but it was also such a funny occurrence. 

“Fresh orange, with a hint of plum,” said Propeller Knight, withdrawing as he finished serving them, “And your meal will follow shortly!”

The moment he was out of earshot, Mona leaned forwards.

“Plague Knight–“

“It’s fine,” he interrupted in a strangled voice, “I’m fine. Um. Ah. Your thighs are beautiful.”

“I– W-what?”

“YOUR EYES! I MEANT YOUR EYES ARE–– WELL, YOUR THIGHS ARE ALSO A FINE WIDTH AND SHAPE BUT I MEANT TO SAY YOUR EYES ARE– ACK!”

Plague Knight promptly planted his beak between his legs and pulled his hood down as low as it would go. Mona pressed a fist over her mouth to stop herself from laughing. 

“Plaguey–“

“May I present to you, the main course..!”

Mona whipped around in her seat, feeling her temperature rise in annoyance. She hadn’t been as vexed by Propeller Knight as she thought she would be, but that sentiment was quickly diminishing. At the moment, she was seriously considering dropping one of his own dinghies on his stupid shiny head.  
But before she or Plague Knight could voice their irritation, Propeller Knight placed two large, steaming bowls of creamy white stew in front of them. 

“Bon apatite!” he cried, then bowed and backed out again.

Mona let out a deep sigh and dunked her spoon into the bisque a little too forcefully. Across the table, Plague Knight was curled up in his chair, clearly mortified. Mona wanted to comfort him, but she couldn’t find the right words…

 

The food was good, and the juice was good, and the spectacular view of the sunset was good, and Propeller Knight’s innuendo-laden inquiries at the end of the evening were tolerable. But the ability to teleport home was greatly appreciated; Mona couldn’t conceive of spending any more awkward silences with her poor partner.

When the pair appeared in the middle of the Potionarium, Plague Knight broke away from her, scampered across the room, and threw his head over the side of her cauldron. The sound of an echoey scream filled the chamber, startling the nearby minions.

“GET OUT OF HERE,” hollered Plague Knight, causing said workers to scatter. 

When the room was completely empty, the only sounds remaining were the faint hum and bubble of machines. Plague Knight had slumped down the side of the cauldron and was leaning against it with his beak hidden. Mona took a few tentative steps towards him.

“Plague Knight. Please don’t have a tantrum.”

“I just––“ his voice came out surprisingly soft and plaintive, “I… I wanted it to be… perfect.”

He sighed and banged a fist against the side of the cauldron with a faint gong, “…But it was a disaster.”

“It wasn’t a disaster,” said Mona, flatly, coming to stand beside him, “Honestly. You built the Explodatorium, and you call that a disaster?” 

“Hee! But you can hardly say that’s how the date was supposed to go!” Plague Knight countered, turning slightly to poke his beak in her direction.

“Well, I don’t know how it was supposed to go. I’ve never been on a date before.”

“It was… it was supposed to be… I don’t know, suave? Debonair?” 

“What, the date? Or you?”

“Both! B-both…” 

Plague Knight got to his feet and hung his head, “Heh. I suppose letting Percy plan it out cursed it from the beginning, heehee…”

Mona snickered, “Oh, is that what happened? …Well, maybe… But I thought it was nice. The food was good, and the view was good, and… you were good, too.”

Plague Knight snorted, “Hee! Mona, you needn’t humour me. I’ve already made myself a laughing stock.”

“I’m not… I…” Mona wrestled with what she wanted to say. Even though she’d finally confessed her feelings, she still wasn’t good at getting them out with any kind of consistency, “I just think maybe… It wasn’t the right date.”

Plague Knight cocked his head, “Eh?”

“I… Well, I just felt really… awkward? Sort of… put on the spot,” said Mona, slowly, “I don’t know if you felt the same way, but… it seemed like you did.” 

It seemed like he’d spent the whole time worrying, rather than trying to enjoy himself. She didn’t want that.

“Heehee… Erm. Perhaps.”

“It was really nice, for what it was. But maybe that’s just not… u-us.”

Us. They were an Us, now weren’t they? What a peculiar feeling…

“But I… I-I should have known, shouldn’t I?” said Plague Knight, shyly, “Heehee– I should have known that wasn’t right! Haha! I shouldn’t have trusted PERCY of all people!! Rrrgh..!!!”

Before he could beat himself up anymore, Mona grabbed the brim of his shiny golden hood and yanked it lightly over his lenses, “Hey. Quit it. No more crying over spilled bisque, okay?”

“Hee! I’m not crying, and we ate every drop of bisque!” he shot back, readjusting his hood and stumbling back indignantly, “A-and I still want to make it up to you!”

“And I insist that it’s fine,” replied Mona, a little heatedly, “It wasn’t your fault! You don’t have to be perfect!”

They stared at each other, glaring, both intent on winning this spontaneous, inexplicable argument. Suddenly, Plague Knight turned to the doorway into the neighbouring lab stations.

“…Mona, would you dim the lights?”

“What? Why?”

“Please.”

Mona pursed her lips. She wanted to press, but she decided against it. Instead, she summoned her lever, connected it to the breakers, and yanked. Several of the large overhead lights shut off, leaving the lab in relative darkness. Meanwhile, Plague Knight had disappeared into the other room.

Was he just going to bed? Had she upset him that much? All she’d wanted was to comfort him, even if she’d gone about it a little oddly– she didn’t want him to feel badly about the date… it wasn’t his fault, and she appreciated the sentiment far more than the result. Just as she was about to sulk off to her own bedroom, she heard his footsteps returning, and the faint sounds of Oolong tuning up in the other room.

“Hee..! Er, Mona…” Plague Knight came to a stop in front of her, tapping his fingers together, shyly, “Let’s… let’s start again. Forget this evening. I want to ask you. Will you… er, no, may I… May I have this dance?”

Mona was taken aback.

“What? Plague Knight, you can’t–“

“I can,” Plague Knight shuffled slightly, “I learned how. When I saw you alone, I thought… it shouldn’t be that way.”

Mona was promptly horrified to feel a lump rise in her throat. Had he really? Had he really learned to dance… just for her..?

“I– …Okay.”

Her words came out in a strangled gurgle, but she held out her hands regardless as the first few notes of a surprisingly grand fanfare sounded from the other room. Plague Knight’s fingers rose up to meet hers, and the digits gently intertwined. Then, after a brief moment of hesitation, the waltz began.

Mona hadn’t been expecting much. After tonight’s attempt at romance, she was used to the climate of timidity and ungainliness. She was prepared to assure him that it didn’t matter if he tripped or stepped on her toes– simply the fact that he was trying meant everything to her.   
But she didn’t need to.   
Like some miracle, they moved as smoothly together as Mona was used to alone. She could feel a slight jitter to her partner’s motions– a trepidation, a concentration… yet, as they began to glide in small circles across the stone, not a step was out of place, not a beat was missed… 

Mona felt the lump in her throat grow larger, and her temperature rise. She’d always danced alone. Always. And as mournful as it might seem without a partner, Mona had never felt right about including anyone else. There was something special, and private, and freeing about dancing that she’d never been able to put her finger on… Doing it with someone who wasn’t right would ruin it… remove its qualities and change it from an expression of joy into a revolving prison. She didn’t mind dancing alone. She was used to the solitude. She didn’t like other people.  
Yet she’d always hoped, in her heart of hearts, that someday she might find someone to join her. It had seemed so silly, until that day in the Explodatorium’s turret… until she’d started miming alongside an invisible partner.   
And now her hands were occupied, and her heart was aching. 

All of the sudden, she felt Plague Knight step to the side and slide an arm around her waist. She was surprised he could manage it, considering the height difference, but he seemed determined. Despite not knowing exactly what was coming next, Mona followed as smoothly as if she did.   
Plague Knight rocked back slightly, took a step, then took her other hand and pulled. He swung her, and, despite her better judgement, she allowed him to guide her into a dip.  
She bent over backwards in one fluid motion, feeling her hair graze the stones. She stared up at the end of Plague Knight’s beak as he held her there for a moment, quivering under her weight. Then, with a monumental heave, he dragged her upright again, and deftly stepped right back into the waltz.

Mona let out a shaky laugh, “H-how’d you manage that?!”

“The power of love?” he wheezed.

Mona produced another giggle that sounded rather more like a sob. Plague Knight leaned against her slightly as he caught his breath, though he never let up his pace.  
She didn’t know how much longer it went on. For a moment, it seemed like the evening lasted an eternity. And if it really had, Mona wouldn’t have minded a bit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Thanks for coming to read and comment on the newest instalment of my silly series- as always it means a lot!  
> Again, I'd like to mention that though the tags sound a little morbid the story isn't going to be grim dark, exactly- I just wanted to make proper warnings just in case! In any event, I hope you guys enjoy the ride; this being a sequel and out of the game's territory, I'm flying a little blind here. Hopefully, though, I'll be able to write it satisfactorily, even with the big added helping of fanon being introduced.
> 
> Thanks again for stopping by, and I'll seeya in the next chapter! --TS


	3. The Transmutation

Mona rose with the sun the next morning feeling rather more serene than usual. She quietly went about her business, preparing herself for the coming day, then exited her secret room and went to check on her staff. She felt quite refreshed this morning, even sunny. One slept so much better after a good waltz…

The few minions that had remained at the Potionarium permanently were just getting up as well, adjusting their masks and smoothing out their robes. Out from amongst them came Plague Knight, a smaller, darker figure against the bright green and pink. He’d changed back into his usual navy robes and plain green mask. 

Mona shifted a little when she saw him approaching, momentarily unsure of what to do with herself. The previous evening had been wonderful… almost magical, one might say. Were things different now? What was the etiquette for following up on a first date?   
Mona shook her head slightly, pushing these thoughts away. The more she focused on things like ‘proper courting’ and ‘normal romance’, the more she felt anxious and confused. It made her feel farther away from her partner, rather than closer. Even if it wasn’t romantic, it was so much easier to look at him the same way she always had… as a friend and collaborator. …A friend and collaborator that she had a huge crush on. 

“Good morning, hee!” greeted Plague Knight, coming to a stop before her and peering up with an air of cheerfulness. It seemed he was in similar good spirits. 

“Morning,” Mona replied, “You sound like you slept well.”

“Hee! I did! Turns out dancing really makes for a good, solid slumber..! …And some sore muscles, heehee…”

He winced a little, and Mona snorted softly.

“You really didn’t have to dip me,” she muttered, her cheeks tinting slightly blue.

Plague Knight waved his hand airily, “Of course I did! Only a travesty of a dance doesn’t have a dip.”

“Since when were you the expert?”

“Since ah… hem. Well. What are all these minions up to, exactly, heehee?”

Mona smirked as he dodged her question, then glanced over at the bustling workers.

“I’ve got them studying some basic alchemy textbooks. I don’t really have enough for all of them, so they have to take turns.”

“And they haven’t squabbled over them and torn the things to pieces, yet?” asked Plague Knight, incredulously. 

“Not so far. These ones really, honestly want to learn our craft. They treat the books with respect…” Mona sighed and rolled her eyes, “…well. To a certain extent. They don’t seem to have any qualms about leaving stains on them…” 

As if on cue, a minion at a nearby table leaned over to squint at some particularly curious text, and absentmindedly put their morning mug of standard-issue stimulant down on the other page.

“Oi. Mind your mug,” called Mona, sharply.

The minion flinched and promptly knocked it over. Mona let out a sigh and ran a hand over her face. The corners of her mouth twitched behind her palm, however, when she heard Plague Knight burst out laughing.

“Anyway,” she sighed, “When you become a teacher, we can set all this up properly. I’m afraid I’m not much of a schoolmarm.”

Plague Knight chuckled, “Heehee! You’re set on me living out that dream, aren’t you?”

“Well, if you are,” Mona replied, turning to him with a frown, “You do want to become a teacher, right? If you do, I… I’ll help you get there.”

“Heh…” Plague Knight drummed his fingers together, “I… heehee..! We’ll see how things play out. I’m not sure if I’m quite ready to move on to a boring schedule.”

“Mmm, you do like to play by your own rules, don’t you…” said Mona.

“Well, if I have to play by any rules, they might as well be mine! Hee!” Plague Knight planted his hands on his hips and puffed out his chest. Mona rolled her eyes affectionately.

“Alright, mister rule-maker. What’s slated for today?”

“Oh! Well,” Plague Knight dug into his robes, “There was one thing I forgot amidst the chaos of yesterday’s little disaster that most certainly did not happen…”

Mona peered down at him, curiously. He’d forgotten something that he was still willing to bring up now..? What could it be?   
A moment later, Plague Knight had produced a large canvas sack from one of his sleeves. He held it out to Mona, proudly.

“A gift!”

Mona blinked, “…Oh. I… Thank you…”

She took the sack gingerly, and heard it clink as it passed from hand to hand. It was quite weighty, and seemed to be full of something metallic. She looked up at Plague Knight, a questioning frown creasing her forehead. Plague Knight remained silent, bouncing on the balls of his feet. His body language clearly read, ‘You’ll just have to open it, heehee..!’

Mona lingered a moment longer, then placed the bag on her desk and pulled the drawstrings. Upon peeking inside, Mona let out a gasp of shock.

“Is that… every Cipher Coin?!”

“Hee! Surprise!” Plague Knight danced over and plucked a shiny green coin from the bag, “I tracked them all down on my travels. Every single last one! I braved the peaks, plumbed the depths..! No trove was too perilous for Plague Knight to plunder!”

Mona beamed at him, “Well… I’ll admit it. I’m impressed.”

“It was nothing, really! A mere trifle!” cried Plague Knight, who’s sudden attempt at humility was ruined by how much he was puffing out his chest.

“This is great…” murmured Mona, “…but are you sure you want me to… use them all?”

She glanced up at him uncertainly. He had a bad habit of lavishing all of those precious coins on her, even if they weren’t being used for his explosive needs.

“Of course, heehee! Plague Knight never backs down from a challenge!”

“…A challenge?” 

Plague Knight folded his arms, “Did you think I’d forgotten? Heeheehee! Oh Mona. You underestimate my curiosity! I must know what the secret of that masterwork in the margins of your notebook!!”

Mona raised an eyebrow. Some time ago, when she’d finished Plague Knight’s complete arsenal, he’d accidentally caught sight of an ongoing formula she’d been scribbling between notes in her book. It was a vastly complicated little hypothesis, and one that came to her in strange, sudden flashes, at all hours of the day. It seemed to happen most when she was half-asleep, between waking and dreaming. One moment, she’d be dozing off, the next, a great sequence of symbols and numbers were flashing before her eyes. She’d done her best to capture the peculiar procedure, but she had no idea where it would lead, and its complexity meant that creating it would either take a long time, or a lot of Cipher Coins. 

“It’s not a masterwork, Plague Knight. I told you, it’s probably nothing. Just a jumble of symbols. It probably won’t even work.” 

“Heehee! Not even if we collected every last Cipher Coin– Yes, that’s what you said! But are we not alchemists? ‘Probably’ is our bread and butter, heehee!! I don’t want to speculate– I want to Know!”

Mona felt a little chill up her spine. Yes… it was curious, wasn’t it. Though her logical judgement told her that daydream scribbles wouldn’t lead to anything, her heart was itching to see if they might strike gold… Metaphorically, or literally. 

“…Ohh…” Mona sighed and ran a hand through her hair, flipping the blue-purple tresses in defeat and trying not to smile, “Okay, Plaguey. You convinced me. Let’s do some science..!”

 

Mona and Plague Knight spent the next hour setting up the lab space to accommodate the specifics of the mysterious formula. The floor was scrubbed and swept until it shone, only to be marked over with dozens of alchemical circles. Mona summoned long tables where they could set up their alembics and piping, and laid out beakers of spirits and sacks of powders. While Plague Knight adjusted these objects, Mona sat down and wrote out her scribblings into a comprehensible, followable set of instructions.   
Once everything was completely in order, Mona carefully dumped out the sack of Cipher Coins and stood back.

“Here we go…”

Plague Knight stood a little behind her, and Mona raised her left hand. One by one, the Cipher Coins began to rise into the air as Mona concentrated, gritting her teeth against the pull of the magic. She didn’t often create magical processes, as she understood her own power so poorly, but this was one of the few she’d managed to perfect. The Coins began to form a spiral in midair, whirling around and around in a shining green vortex. At the same time, a flame lit in the palm of Mona’s outstretched hand, blue at first, then quickly lightening to a similar verdant hue. With a metallic hiss, the Coins began to shatter as they reached the centre of their maelstrom, causing the flame to leap and dart, brighter and brighter. The corners of Mona’s mouth twitched, and she felt a gurgle of laughter crawl up her throat. Something about this particular activity always gave her the irrepressible urge to laugh.

Finally, the last Coin disappeared with a loud clash, and Mona quickly closed her fist over the flame. She stood a moment, hair on end, heat billowing off of her like a furnace… then she swiped her fist at a nearby vat, opening her fingers as she did so.  
In an instant, the vat was filled with a great quantity of infinitesimal, pale green crystals. Plague Knight whooped.

“Weehee!! I love watching you do that!” he crowed.

Mona chuckled malevolently and cracked her knuckles, “It’s a nice trick, isn’t it… Well! Let’s get to work!”

The rest of the day was spent in undaunted labour. Not only was Mona’s formula complicated, but it was also time-intensive and tricky. Nearly every type of alchemical process was involved in some manner or other; calcination, ceration, cohobation, fixation, strengthening multiplication, sublimation and projection to name a few.   
Because of the experiment’s delicate nature, none of the minions were permitted to assist, so Mona and Plague Knight had to do all of the work themselves. They stoutly set to converting their supplies into ingredients with the help of the Cipher Coin extract all on their lonesome. 

Mona didn’t mind at all, really; she hadn’t collaborated with Plague Knight properly for ages, and she missed working alongside him. They didn’t speak much as they toiled, but there was definitely a connection there. Something in their movements began to synch up as they grew more and more intent on their work, until they were practically gliding across the room together as they had the previous evening.

Progress slowly made itself apparent as the hours passed. Heaps of sublimated powders and slabs of cerated metal began to pile up in the centre of circles, beakers of volatile spirits smoked and bubbled, ingots of strange metals clinked together gently as they were set down… By the early hours of the next morning, the lab was a storehouse of strange and arcane materials, wended between by a pair of frazzled alchemists. 

“Final component’s… pure liquid gold,” slurred Mona as she ran her gloved fingers across a sheet of canvas, brushing the crystals that had grown there into a receptacle. 

“I’ll check the recipe,” replied Plague Knight, tottering over to Mona’s instructions and running his finger down them, “…Looks like… it needs to be dissolved in Regia and then liquified by mmm…”

He trailed off, already setting about concocting the Aqua Regia. Meanwhile, Mona began to clean up the rest of the alchemical circles, organizing the fruits of their processes into a neat little block to one side. Once the floor was clear, she got down on her hands and knees and began to trace the final circle. She could see it in her minds eye, huge and intricate, the lines intertwining into all manner of strange, twisting shapes… almost alive… almost breathing…

What seemed a moment later, Plague Knight was approaching her with a gently steaming beaker of liquid gold.

“Alright…” said Mona, straightening up and stifling a yawn as she brushed the chalk off her skirts, “That should be it. Shall we double check?”

“Hee, I suppose we must,” said Plague Knight, wearily, “No room for error now..!”

Mona could hear the sound of the minions trying to get ready for the new day as quietly as possible in the other room so as not to disturb their bosses. She shook her head and slapped her cheeks sharply to wake herself up, then began the verification process with her partner.  
They went through the list at least three times, just to make sure their sleep deprivation wasn’t causing them to miss anything. Mona wished they’d taken at least a little break to imbibe a stimulant or two, but the project demanded their attention with an almost sentient pull…

Finally, when all was checked, double checked and triple checked, Mona looked down at her partner firmly.

“Okay. This is it. Time to fill in the final circle.”

“Heehee! I can’t wait!”

With a sense of mounting excitement, the pair began to install the ingredients at their proper places, making sure not to scuff the chalk lines or spill any of the substances. Anticipating the outcome of their toil seemed to impart in them a second wind, and Mona found her mind clearing a little from the fog it had been in earlier.   
Would her formula succeed? Would something come of all this labour? …Or would it be a complete and utter failure..? …Oh well. If it did all collapse, at least the ensuing explosion would be spectacular. 

“You know what they say,” Mona muttered under her breath, absentmindedly.

“The bigger the explosion,” Plague Knight answered, reflexively.

“…the better the alchemist.”

Mona placed the final ingredient down onto its corresponding symbol, then stooped down and held out her piece of chalk. She glanced over at Plague Knight, who looked back at her with clenched fists.  
Mona turned back to the markings, and traced a line between the two ends she’d left open, sealing the circle.  
No sooner had she done so than the enter area of floor was lit with a brilliant glow, sending a blast of wind to ruffle the alchemist’s robes. As they watched in awe, the white light was coloured by a faint red glow which grew brighter as it began to spread inwards through the lines. The vibrant hue traced itself across the circle, seeping on and on until it reached the centre and bathed the entire room in crimson. Then, abruptly, the red changed to gold, and died completely.   
The room was left in darkness once again, and there was something sitting at the eye of the dissipated storm…

They stood there in complete silence for a few moments, before Mona quickly scuffed out the edge of the circle and darted into it. Plague Knight scampered after her excitedly.

Stooping over, Mona reached out and lifted up… an ornate golden chalice..?

“Our research produced… this?” Mona weighed the object in her hands. 

It was quite weighty and smooth, except where intricate carvings ran up the base and the handles on either side of the wide, golden bowl. Squinting, Mona could make out a pattern of what appeared to be apples being borne across crashing waves.   
How odd. Just holding it seemed to stir something within Mona’s very core; she could sense that this was no ordinary goblet, and something about its emanations was familiar… But exactly what that meant eluded her, at present.

“It’s pulsing with power, but I can’t figure it out… What are we missing..?”

She handed it gingerly to Plague Knight, who cupped it in his spindly fingers.

“Heehee! I didn’t know you had such discerning taste in water-vessels, Mona! This is the fanciest cup I’ve ever seen!”

Evidently, he didn’t feel what she felt.

“Knock it off,” she sighed, “There’s a piece of the puzzle we don’t have yet… Ugh..!”

She stomped out of the circle, her fatigue returning with a vengeance. Plague Knight chased after her.

“Don’t be discouraged! I’m sure we’ll figure it out! Your formula must have worked, or else we wouldn’t have this little beauty! Alchemy rarely produces anything so well-formed unless it’s worked, heehee!”

Mona smirked, wanly, “Alright. We’d better put this somewhere for safe-keeping, though.”

“How about you keep it in your oh-so secret room?” suggested Plague Knight, slyly, “I’ll help you carry it…”

Mona snorted, and waved a hand. The chalice disappeared in a flash of blue light, and Plague Knight snapped his fingers.

“Hee! Oh well, I tried. Good… morning, Mona! I think I should like to take a nap!”

“Ditto,” yawned Mona, “That took a lot out of me. I’ll see you… whenever, yeah..?”

“Hee!”

 

When Mona awoke next, she found herself sprawled out on her bed, still in her lab clothes. She lay there for a few more moments, savouring the comfort of her mattress, before heaving herself up and scolding herself for her negligence. After a project like that, she had to wash, properly.  
She set about banishing her blanket away to be cleaned, followed by her lab clothes. Then she stepped into her personal lavatory and ran a bath.

Sitting in the water, she went over the events of the previous day with a clear head. She could still see the formula in her minds eye, though something about it had changed… it was as if she’d put a period at the end of a very long sentence. She’d completed this strange, unknowable process, and put its inaudible voice to rest. But the result…  
As she dried herself off and reentered her room, she spotted the chalice sitting on her nightstand. It gleamed in the faint candlelight, belying a mysterious secret with its gold-graven splendour. 

Mona sat down on her sheets and stared at it, frowning.

“What are you hiding, huh?” she murmured at it. 

There was no reply. Mona rolled her eyes. Of course there wasn’t. She waved her hand and popped back into her purple gown, then flopped back onto the bedspread.  
She lay there in silence for a few moments, fidgeting with the blue jewel affixed to the neckline of her dress. The smooth surface was always nice to run her digits over, and it helped her think whenever she was seriously stumped about something. She was about to ready herself for a long while of pondering, when her stomach emitted a loud growl.

“Oh, that’s right… I didn’t eat…”

She sat up languidly and surreptitiously exited her secret room. Outside, the labs seemed to have been cleaned of yesterday’s mess, and the remaining minions were bustling about as usual. Raising her nose to the air, Mona could smell something cooking down the hall.  
She followed her nose, weaving between her staff and giving Oolong a cursory wave as she passed him. When she finally arrived in the kitchen, she found Plague Knight standing at one of the stoves, frying up a rather heroic amount of eggs and bacon.

He turned at the sound of her footsteps, then waved.

“Hee! Good evening!”

“Good– what?”

“It’s five o’clock,” said Plague Knight, “We slept through the day. I was just making myself a snack… Shall I throw on some more eggs?”

Mona raised an eyebrow as she watched the meaty concoction in the pan sizzle, “…More eggs..?”

“Yes! For you!”

“…I’ll make something myself. Besides, I can probably eat whatever’s left over when you inevitably gorge yourself silly.”

“I assure you, this is barely enough to satisfy me,” sniffed Plague Knight.

“Oh please. You can’t eat all that!”

“Watch m–– ahhh! You almost had me! Heeheehee!”

Mona smirked as she dug into the freezing-contraption and pulled out two cucumbers, four carrots and the largest tomato she could find. 

“Mmm, so close. My secret room and your secret face… shall remain a mystery.” 

She leaned lazily against the table and bit into the tomato with a wet splat. Plague Knight seemed to have cooked his ‘snack’ to perfection, because he put out the stove and lifted the frying pan into his hand. Just as he was padding away to eat his meal in peace, Mona darted out her left hand and snatched a strip of bacon away from its fellows. After a certain accident, her left hand no longer felt much in the way of heat or cold, or any sensation for that matter, so the scalding meat didn’t bother her. Plague Knight squawked indignantly. 

“HEY!”

Mona blew on the strip, then bit off the end and chewed, smirking.

“It’sh good.”

She cracked one of her cucumbers in two against the table one-handed, and tossed Plague Knight a half.

“Enjoy your meal.”

Plague Knight stumbled a little and managed to catch the vegetable while also keeping his pan level.

“You too, hee hee hee…” 

Mona watched him go, slowly chewing down the rest of her pilfered bacon before going back to her tomato. She ate in silence, remaining in the kitchen so as not to accidentally stumble upon Plague Knight while he ate. She didn’t know where he’d gone, though she knew she could always find out. A few simple steps, and she could appear right at his side… It was a peculiarity of her magic.   
She still didn’t have a firm handle on teleportation; she was more likely to reappear halfway up a tree than at her destination without a guiding Star Map or deep concentration. Yet, no matter what, she could always appear mere inches away from her partner, no matter where he was. If only she knew why it was so easy when he was her target, then she might be able to apply the same trick to the rest of her transportations… But alas, the intricacies of her powers remained elusive. 

Mona crunched down the last of her carrots, banishing the stalks to the waste vats, then exited the kitchen. She headed towards her desk, which sat in front of the Dynamo Decanter, as usual. The machine was cold, now– completely shut down, covered in tarps and empty of water and fire alike. Without any Essences to hold, it was purposeless…   
This evoked a slight melancholy in Mona. She loved the Dynamo Decanter. It was her pride and joy, her mechanical opus. It felt wrong to simply shelve it now that they were no longer working towards the Serum Supernus. She wondered if it might ever have a chance to shine again… maybe she’d do more experimentation on Essences. Yes..! That might be rather exciting– the strange, floating orbs of volatile energy still possessed many inscrutable facets yet undiscovered… This was something Mona definitely wanted to Know.

She was just about to start scribbling down some ideas, when the Mail Minion trotted up to her, waving. 

“Yoohoo! Mistress!”

Mona scowled a little at being interrupted and propped her head up heavily in one hand.

“Hi, Mail Minion.” 

“I have a letter for you and Master!” he dug into his satchel and handed Mona a piece of paper, “From the Explodatorium!”

Mona frowned. Correspondence from the Explodatorium? Percy didn’t usually send in status reports; he seemed too caught up in his work to write about them. It was kind of a blessing, actually. But then, what was this? 

“Thanks,” she said, flatly, and the Mail Minion tipped his cap and bustled away. 

Mona set the letter down on her desk and tapped her lips, thoughtfully. She supposed she should wait for Plague Knight, if the letter was for both of them. Luckily, it seemed Plague Knight was just finishing his meal. Mona caught sight of him entering the labs from the other room, picking an errant scrap of egg off of his robes.

“Hee! How were your greens, Mona? And MY baco––“

“A letter came. From the Explodatorium.”

Plague Knight stopped in his tracks.

“What?”

“From Percy, I think. C’mere.”

Plague Knight hastened to her side, and Mona unfolded the letter. Sure enough, Mona recognized Percy’s grandiose, loopy handwriting. To her surprise, the following message was rather short. Definitely not a status report.

 

‘Dearest companions!

How have you been? I trust you’re getting on well-enough without me? Oh, I miss you and the Potionarium so much! But the Explodatorium has its attractions. The extra space is wonderful for my ballistic experiments! And the minions are such good sports, too, unlike a certain someone…  
I kid! I kid! 

In any case, let me cut to the chase; I am writing to you to request that you visit immediately! The Magicist and I are to be wed soon, and we have much to discuss about the approaching ceremony! Your input is deeply valued, and I have a few special questions to ask, besides… Please send your nearest availability post-haste! We eagerly await your arrival!

Yours truly, Sir Percival!

P.S. Mona, please pass the letter to Plague Knight and do not read any further.

Plague Knight, you must tell me how our little date went! I believe my choice in poetry was perfect– did it manage to melt Mona’s icy exterior? I tell you, girls like that are as soft as butter on the inside. You just have to crack the shell! No matter– we’ll discuss it when we see each other next!   
Kudos, Cupid!’

 

Mona was too stunned to roll her eyes at the very visible post-script. She turned to look at Plague Knight, who was similarly stiff with shock.

“…Well,” said Mona, tossing the letter back on the desk so that it bounced and folded up again, “Somebody’s really champing at the bit.” 

“Heehee! But did you really expect any restraint from Percy?”

“Well, I thought the Magicist might at least temper him, a little,” Mona sighed, “I mean… They only just started going together a couple of months ago…” 

“Percy’s a Stallion who knows what he wants,” said Plague Knight, shrugging and giggling to himself, “And aren’t we all a little impatient getting what we want?” 

Mona snorted, “Well… When you put it that way, I don’t know why I was so surprised.”

She paused, glancing down at the letter again, “I guess it just seems… a little mad, to me. Getting married so fast.”

“Oh?” Plague Knight cocked his head, curiously.

“…Call me crazy, but unless it’s an arranged marriage, it seems like a good idea to get to know each other before tying the knot.” 

Plague Knight chuckled, “That does seem sensible. But passion is rarely sensible, heehee!”

“Ugh. Don’t make me think about Percy’s passion,” shuddered Mona. 

Plague Knight cackled, “Hee! Perish the thought! Seriously. I never knew two people could kiss so much until those two started going steady!”

Mona grimaced, “I know. Somehow they were always in the exact store-room I needed to go into for supplies…”

Plague Knight snorted, “Or just brazenly out in the open! ICK! I’ve cut open dead things less sloppy than those two!”

Mona giggled, pressing her knuckles over her mouth. 

“It’s just plain rude, honestly,” continued Plague Knight, disapprovingly, folding his arms and shaking his beak. 

“Yeah,” Mona snorted, “I mean, imagine if we went cavorting around, sucking face while they were trying to have a nice day?”

There was a sudden silence. Mona felt heat creep up the back of her neck.

“I mean… That would just be ridiculous, wouldn’t it?”

“O-oh– Terribly ridiculous, heehee… Just ludicrous…”

“Yeah… And it’s gross, anyway. Those noises they make? Eugh. It’s like they’re trying to eat an apple without using their teeth.”

Plague Knight guffawed, “YUCK! Mona, please, I’ve just eaten!”

There was another awkward silence after Plague Knight spoke. Mona glanced down at her desk again, towards the letter. She didn’t look forward to the requested visit…

“Heh… But… I’m sure there’s a way to do it.”

“Huh?”

Plague Knight cleared his throat, “I-I-I mean. Kissing. I’m sure there’s a way to do it that isn’t, hee hee… gross.” 

Mona frowned.

“…Uh. I… suppose so… It’d probably need extensive testing…”

Plague Knight nodded, a little too quickly, “O-oh, yes! Very much so! Lots of data. T-to complete a thorough study, which could be used to invent a method of… n-non-gross kissing…” 

Mona tugged at her sleeves, staring at her mismatched hands fixedly.

“…Um. Are you curious?”

She heard Plague Knight shuffle, “Ehee–– I-I… O-only if you are! A-are… are you curious?”

“…Maybe…”

Mona finally managed to look up at him. Plague Knight was tapping his fingers as he always did when he was nervous. His knees were knocking together fiercely. Mona swallowed, thickly.   
If she was completely honest with herself, Mona really kind of wanted to try. As embarrassing as it was, she had begun experiencing the urge to press her lips to some part of him, as an expression of her affection. She’d actually done it once, in fact, but that was sort of in the heat of the moment… and besides, it had only been on the forehead. Of his mask. In thanks for a gift. Yeas ago. It wasn’t a real kiss. 

“Uhh…” Plague Knight cleared his throat again, “Heehee… Maybe we can pencil something in for… uhh…”

“We could try now.”

Mona felt a lurch in her stomach as she blurted out her words, but there was no taking them back now. Plague Knight tugged at the collar of his robes.

“Hee! Heehee– O-okay! I’ll just… Erm, I have to prepare a little, first. You know- f-for science! G-give me half an hour. Ahh–“ he stumbled over himself as he moved hesitantly away from Mona’s desk, “W-where shall we..?”

“My room,” said Mona. It was just dawning on her that, to kiss properly, Plague Knight would have to remove his mask. She couldn’t let him reveal his secret without revealing one in return, “I’ll wait here and let you in.”

“Ah– Heehee! A-alright! See you in half an hour, hahaha!!”

Plague Knight beetled off to the neighbouring labs, and Mona caught him give a joyful little kick just as he disappeared out of sight. She smiled, in spite of herself, feeling her cheeks turn blue.  
They’d already had one date. Kissing followed naturally, didn’t it? It was a big part of the whole romance ritual.   
Mona had never kissed anyone before. Apart from simply not being interested, she’d never really had the opportunity due to her upbringing. Proper young ladies like herself weren’t meant to do such unseemly things as kiss persons they weren’t betrothed to. And the isolation of her childhood had precluded any clandestine dalliances, anyway.  
This would be a completely novel experience. It was nerve-wracking, yes– but a little exciting, too. It wasn’t like the date– this seemed more private. Something she could share with him, on her own terms… like dancing. Dancing, but with lips. 

 

The half-hour Plague Knight was gone seemed interminable. After a little while, Mona decided to take the time to do a little work on her health potions.  
She’d begun research into the deep red brew a little while after Plague Knight had admitted to her, all that time ago, that he was not a well man. Though he seemed to hide his illness very well behind his mask and his whiffs of sweet vitriol, she’d seen its effects first hand. It worried her, seeing him that way. He’d survived this long through cleverness and care alone, but surely it couldn’t be comfortable for him?   
Mona didn’t want to belittle or patronize him. She didn’t want him to think that she doubted his prowess. But making his life a little easier couldn’t hurt, right? So she’d set to work, carefully watching for symptoms, searching through alchemedical textbooks for pertinent cures, and slowly honing a serviceable concoction.   
The potion went through several iterations, and Mona’s progress was quite slow in comparison to her usual projects, as medical alchemy was not at all her strong suit. Her grasp of the biological parts of science was tenuous at best, and she much preferred machines over bodies. But still she persisted– because even if she didn’t like the process, the result was very important to her. She swore she could see it working… Somehow, these days, he seemed so much more… solid.

Mona was just puzzling over a recipe for a tincture to cure muscle soreness when she heard her partner’s quick footsteps on the stones. She glanced up as he neared, closing her book.

“It took you that long to find paper?”

“Heehee! Uuuhhh, Percy usually hogs it all to himself, so…”

Mona shrugged, “Well. Whatever. Let’s go.” 

She waited until none of the minions were watching, then grabbed Plague Knight and dragged him behind the Dynamo Decanter. There was a narrow area right behind the main tank next to a long corridor supported by several wide pillars. Mona approached one of these and waved her hand. A hidden door -much like the one into her side room- disappeared, revealing a spiral staircase. 

“Ooh!” breathed Plague Knight, peering in excitedly.

Mona entered, waiting for Plague Knight to follow her before replacing the door and starting up the stairs. After a few cramped circles, they came to another door, which Mona opened in the same way. 

“Well… Here we are.”

Plague Knight crept forwards, shoulders hunched slightly, peering past her with almost tangible curiosity. 

It wasn’t anything spectacular, really. A grey-stone room with the usual furnishings. There was a desk by the door with some shelves above it; these were for any writing or experiments she wanted to do in her chambers. Beside that was a large red-brick fireplace with a cauldron sitting amongst the wood. She mainly used it for heating ingredients, as her natural warmth did away with the need for fire. Beside that was her fourposter bed, her armoire, and her dressing table. Small heaps of unfinished machinery or stacks of completed notebooks gleamed in the light from iron candle sconces that sat high on the walls. The strange goblet they’d created earlier was still in its place on the bedside table.

“Wow..!” Plague Knight took a few more steps inside, hesitantly, “This is… nice..!”

“Yeah…” 

Mona stood there for a moment longer, then gathered her wits and strode over to the bed. She sat down primly, staring at Plague Knight almost challengingly, eyes steely.

“Alright. Let’s begin the experiment.”

Plague Knight gulped, audibly, and fumbled with his papers.

“I… J-just need a moment to, um, prepare! D-do you have a side room or s-something I could–“

“There’s a bathroom,” said Mona, pointing to the dressing table.

“Uhh..?”

“There’s a switch on the desk.”

Plague Knight approached curiously, then managed to find what she was talking about. He yelped as the section of floor he was standing on rotated, carrying him, the table and the mirror into an out-of-sight room behind the wall. Mona smirked. She’d always liked that little mechanism. And it meant she didn’t have to buy two mirrors. 

With a sigh, Mona turned back to her room and folded her hands in her lap. Her heart was beating a little hard, at the moment, and she could feel her temperature rising. She was about to see his face. His real, actual face. She never thought she’d actually get the opportunity. He was so cagey about it, and she didn’t want to intrude… She had come to accept his blank, staring mask as his visage, and she didn’t mind it. It was kind of cute, in its own, strange, birdlike way. But every so often she’d tried to picture what might be hiding just behind it. 

She often imagined that he might be disfigured in some way. That would account for why he never removed his beak. Perhaps he had scars– great, twisting chemical burns from some failed experiment long past. Or maybe he was dreadfully pockmarked; covered in plague-boils and acne scars. Maybe he was missing an eye? Or had a frightfully large nose? Or perhaps an ungainly tooth-gap and scraggly hair… Or, perhaps he was good looking and simply a very private person.

She was shaken out of her speculation, suddenly, by a strangled cry from behind the wall. She started up, sharply.

“Plague Knight?”

There was no response.

“Plague Knight–” Mona rushed to the wall and called again, “What’s wrong?”

“Er–– N-nothing! I’m fine!” came the muffled reply, though the tone of voice contradicted its statement, “Heehee..! Uhh, you know, maybe… we should call this off…”

Mona narrowed her eyes, “Why? Plague Knight. Did you do something?”

Damn. Her mechanism only worked from one end. She couldn’t get into the bathroom from this side without teleporting.

“…No…”

“Plague Knight. If you messed up my bathroom…”

“I-it’s not that, hee! I promise! Everything’s fine! I-I-I just… ahh…”

“Are you getting cold feet?” she asked, sagging a little in disappointment, and glad that he couldn’t see her doing so. 

“Ah… W-well– N-not exactly…” there was a long silence, “…I just don’t… think you want to see me.”

Mona blinked.

“What?”

“Heh, uhh… I miscalculated. I… You really, really don’t want to see me.”

“Yes I do,” said Mona, firmly, “If you’re nervous, it… I…”

She leaned her forehead against the wall, “I… I promise. The worst I’ll do is laugh.”

She wanted to tell him she didn’t care what he looked like, that no face could be monstrous enough to repel her. But she was too shy. There was a long pause. Suddenly, the floor began to move under her feet. Mona stepped back, heart thumping in her chest.

The dressing table came back into view, with Plague Knight in front of it. He was standing with his head bowed, his hood pulled low over his face, and for once, his mask was in his hands, rather than peeking out from under it.

“…Well…” he took a deep breath and stepped forwards, “…Don’t say I didn’t warn you, heehee…”

He tucked his mask into his belt, then looked up and took down his hood. Mona stared, in silence.

He was… well. There was no way around it. He was really rather ugly.   
His face was sickly and gaunt, almost skull-like, with the skin stretched tightly over the bones. His wide, slightly bulging grey eyes were set deeply into his face, and ringed with heavy dark circles. His cheeks were hollow, and covered in unpleasant, patchy stubble, which continued up to his mostly bald head. The only proper hair that grew there popped up in two awkward black cowlicks at the front and back of his cranium. His nose was long and hooked, and there was a dent in the middle, almost like it had been struck with something. It stuck out almost as much as his Adam’s apple, which bobbed visibly against his scrawny neck as he swallowed. All in all, quite a repulsive combination…

And then he spoke, and his face animated. Eyebrows slid together, teeth poked out from behind thin lips, eyes gleamed with anxiety.

“Ehee– I’ll, um. Just put this back on then, and we can…”

“No..!”

Mona shook her head, sharply. She was seeing him. She was actually seeing him. For the first time, she could see the lips that spoke the words in that voice she so adored. See the glint in those keen eyes that had spotted so many infinitesimal details and remembered them. See the face of the man she loved, see it move and change and emote… and though it might not be pretty to look at, she couldn’t help but find herself hopelessly attracted. 

She didn’t realize she was blushing until Plague Knight cracked a lopsided, nervous grin, which increased the heat even more.

“Heh– A-are you going to laugh now?”

“I– O-of course not,” Mona tried to compose herself, folding her arms and pursing her lips, “That would be cruel.”

“Heehee… Y-you might as well. You don’t have to pretend. I’m… hideous.”

“Well…” Mona trailed off, still staring at the wall, practically feeling her cheeks change in hue.

She glanced back out of the corner of her eyes and saw Plague Knight’s crooked grin wobble. She silently repressed the urge to snatch him up and squeeze him.

“W-well. Let’s get started, shall we?”

Plague Knight blinked, “W-what? You still..?”

“Yes, I still. Just because you’re not very pretty doesn’t mean I… I-I mean, just because you’re…” Mona faltered, trying to express herself despite her mortification. Her face was probably coming to resemble a blueberry… “You’re ugly, but you’re not… ugly..?”

Plague Knight raised a narrow eyebrow, “Yes, that makes sense.” 

“You’re not– You– You look ugly, but you’re not– I don’t– I don’t find you ugly!” cried Mona, so flustered she could barely choke out the words, “N-now let’s start this experiment before we both lose our nerve!”

She turned around and stomped over to the bed, sitting down with a thud and accidentally sending a blast of heat across the room. She stared down at her lap, clutching at her skirts. She felt like she might melt into the sheets at any moment, she was so embarrassed. She rarely let herself get this emotional in front of anybody, though Plague Knight seemed to bear witness to an annoying amount of slip-ups. He just got under her skin, just as he was doing now, with his stupid, horrible face that she couldn’t help but adore. She prayed to whatever god was listening that he wouldn’t tease her. She’d probably set the bed on fire if he did.

Thankfully, Plague Knight merely shuffled over and carefully sat down beside her. She glanced up, bashfully, her expression wavering between a wobbly grin and a scathing glare. How dare he affect her so? How dare he make this so difficult! How dare he be so adorable?!

Plague Knight’s cheeks were blotchily red, which contrasted badly with his green skin. 

“Heh… Are you okay..?” he mumbled, peering timidly up at her with a very nervous smile, “No offence, but I’m a bomb expert, and I know an impending explosion when I see one.”

Mona stared back at him, silently, before taking a slow breath. He looked so small, sitting there, hands clutched around the hem of his robes. She had to calm down. She was scaring him. She was overstimulated, bombarded by all these sudden feelings– but she couldn’t let them hurt her partner. And she most certainly had, by now… She hadn’t even contested his unattractiveness. Wasn’t that what a good partner was supposed to do? Find little things in their beloved that made them beautiful..?   
But he was already beautiful, in a way. As trite as it sounded, he was beautiful on the inside. All of the things she loved him for made him irresistible… and that somehow leaked out of him, making it impossible for her to be repulsed. His features, put together as they were, were unpleasant, and yet… and yet she couldn’t register them as repellant. She simply couldn’t see him as anything other than… sweet.

“I’m sorry,” she said, slowly, coaxing her stiff body into relaxing. She rested her chin on the heel of one hand, nearly covering her mouth, but not quite. She needed to think carefully about her words, and explain herself in a straightforward manner. He deserved it, “I… It was childish of me. To react that way. I was… I-I was overwhelmed. The truth is, it’s… i-it’s very… strange. To see you. The real you…”

She saw Plague Knight wince, and forced herself to continue, “But not… not strange in a bad way. A-as I said, you… I like you. And I’m… not used to liking things. This much.”

There was a long silence. She felt worse and worse as the seconds ticked past. She’d screwed up. She’d really, really…

“Hee… I-I’m not used to liking things this much either.” 

Mona heard Plague Knight shift beside her, “And as for childish reactions, well… I wasn’t exactly a gentleman back on the Flying Machine… Why don’t we call it even, then, eh? After all, we are partners! If we both hadn’t freaked out, we wouldn’t be equals, heehee!”

Mona snorted, in spite of herself.

“What kind of logic is that?” 

“The only kind I can muster right now, heehee!” Plague Knight’s voice quavered, and he grinned a wide, lopsided grin that showed off his surprisingly even teeth, “I-I-I’m sitting in your secret room, with my mask off… a-about to kiss you! It does things to a man’s head, you know! I’d pinch myself to make sure I wasn’t dreaming, but I don’t want to jinx it..!”

Mona sat there for a moment longer, then conjured her book. She reached over and thumped him lightly on the knee with it. He yelped and scrambled back.

“Hey!”

“There. You’re not dreaming.”

His face contorted into a diabolical smirk, and he snickered. Mona couldn’t help but continue to marvel at his expressions. For someone who looked like an undead, he was so uncannily lively. 

He picked up his pad of paper and thwapped Mona on the leg in return. It was much flimsier than her book, and the pathetic little pap noise it made against her knee made Mona giggle.

“And neither are you!” he cried, grinning.

“Yes, yes, alright. Let’s get to work, shall we?”

Plague Knight’s grin faltered, the blotchy red returning to his cheeks, but he managed to recover himself.

“Ohh, eager, are we?”

It was Mona’s turn to colour up a bit, “I just like to get things done! We’ve wasted enough time dilly-dallying…” 

“Eehee… Right,” Plague Knight tugged at his chains, nervously, “Ahh… W-what were the steps, again?”

“The steps to kissing?” Mona raised an eyebrow, “I’m pretty sure it’s still pucker lips, connect to partner’s lips, hold, disengage, repeat.” 

“Haha..! Well, a-all right! Here we go! For science!”

“For science!”

Plague Knight took in a deep, bracing breath, then squeezed his eyes shut and leaned inwards. He puffed out his cheeks and puckered his lips, then froze on the spot, awaiting Mona to meet him in the middle. He looked absolutely ridiculous, which helped Mona feel at least a little less nervous.  
Plucking up her courage and assuring herself that this was simply another normal experiment, Mona leaned forwards and tilted her head slightly to embrace him.

“YOW!”

Their lips had met for only a fraction of a second before Plague Knight leapt backwards as if he’d been burnt.

“Y-you shocked me!” he cried, pressing a hand over his mouth, his eyes popping. 

“What? I-I did not!” Mona retorted. She hadn’t felt any sort of current, except for the tingle down her spine. Then again, Mona’s magic was strange and unpredictable, and tended to burst out of her at inopportune moments. She couldn’t tell if he was overreacting, or if she’d actually done something. 

Plague Knight slowly let his hand slide down his chin and neck, brow creased in consideration. He remained there, apart from her, for a few more moments before suddenly breaking into a slightly cross-eyed grin.

“Hee! What fun! Let’s try again!”

Mona spluttered out a cackle, “Oh yeah? Are you a masochist, now?”

“Heehee! People always did say I was a glutton for punishment,” he said, wryly, before leaning in again, eagerly, “I’m sure I’ll get used to it..!”

Mona sighed and shook her head, smirking, before moving to join him. This time, they managed to hold the embrace a little longer. Plague Knight’s lips were dry and cracked, but his skin was warm. Mona could smell the faint sting of sweet vitriol and other chemicals on him. She wondered if he’d taken a lungful for nerves in the bathroom.

“Heh– T-that seems right,” stuttered Plague Knight as he drew back again, “W-was that gross? Heehee! I think not!” 

“Yeah… didn’t seem gross to me…” said Mona, slowly, “But have we cracked the code? Are we sure there isn’t an even less-gross way to kiss? This doesn’t seem like enough testing…”

“Hmm,” Plague Knight ran his finger along his throat, up to the tip of his chin as he often did with his mask when he was thinking, “I believe you’re right..! A mere two attempts is hardly proper science..!”

It was a stupid excuse that didn’t even need to be made, yet kissing under the guise of research simply felt… easier. They were already terribly bashful, and if they acknowledged what they were really doing, they were liable to stop entirely. 

The rest of the ‘experimentation’ was a little rocky. Neither of them had ever kissed anyone before, so naturally they weren’t very good at it. They couldn’t even tell how bad they were, simply because they had nothing to compare it to, though they were able to guess. They could discern, for example, that too much saliva was a bad thing, and that certain attempts were rather ungainly and awkward. They dutifully noted their findings down between each endeavour, though they quickly began to see the notation process as a nuisance.   
Kissing other places besides the lips seemed more comfortable for both of them– Mona found cupping Plague Knight’s scratchy chin and pressing her lips to his cheeks and forehead seemed to temper her previous urges to squeeze him as tightly as possible. It was also rather amusing to watch him fidget and gurgle afterwards. His kisses were just as tentative and awkward, but much scratchier. 

“You’re going to sand my cheeks right off if you keep this up,” said Mona, smirking, as Plague Knight drew back, brushing his face against hers in the process.

“Hee! Sorry– I’ll make an improvement next time,” he said rubbing his prickly chin, “But perhaps we should take a little rest…”

Mona nodded. At this point, they couldn’t really keep up the charade of scientific study any longer. They’d dropped their notepads to the side some time ago…

With a sigh, Mona slid off her boots and pulled her legs up onto the bed, leaning up against the headboard. 

“Well. That’s some good data,” she said, halfheartedly. 

She felt a sort of coziness all over her body– was this what people called warm and fuzzy? If so, her ever-present temperature reflected it; her usual heat was drifting off her in a lazy, warm haze. 

Plague Knight followed Mona’s example and kicked off his shoes, climbing a little more securely onto the bed. Glancing down, Mona noticed that his tights were rather peculiar. Instead of encasing his entire foot, the ends resembled the sleeves of his under-armour; the length ended off in a sling that cupped the middle of his soles, leaving his toes and heel bare. It was almost as if he’d simply cut away the fabric on either side…  
Mona wondered briefly what on earth the purpose of such an alteration could be, but decided not to question it. It was Plague Knight, after all; odd was his middle name.

“Hee… You know, I think we’re pretty close to a breakthrough,” said Plague Knight, smiling placidly, “I’d say those last few attempts were almost pleasant, heeheehee…”

Mona snickered, “Oh yes. We’re perfecting the art of disgust-free osculation.” 

“Just another thing to add to our glorious resumes!” Plague Knight flung out his hands grandly, before giggling to himself, “Maybe we can teach Percy a thing or two, for once, heehee!”

“It wouldn’t stick,” sighed Mona, shaking her head, “It never does.” 

Plague Knight nodded glumly and slumped over, leaning his elbow against one knee and cupping his chin in his hand. 

“Hee… Do we really have to go up there?”

“What, to the Explodatorium?”

“Yes… I don’t know what Percy is thinking, heehee… I don’t know anything about weddings. I’ve only been to one, and I was crashing it for nefarious purposes.” 

Mona made a mental note to ask him about that one day, before giving a small, weary exhale, “Yeah… I don’t know much about weddings either. Unless he wants me to build him a spinning pulpit or an exploding bouquet, I’m afraid I’m going to be pretty useless.” 

“Weddings are ridiculous, anyway,” grumbled Plague Knight, scowling, “It’s all just a bunch of pomp and circumstance for a simple swearing of fidelity! The only good thing about it is the abundance of food and the excuse for free gifts, heehee!”

“Yeah… I can’t imagine having to walk down the aisle,” Mona shuddered, “In front of a bunch of strangers? In a bright white dress? Ugh!”

“Heh, well, they’re not strangers. They’d be your family. Or whomever you invited,” Plague Knight pointed out, with a small shrug.

“Yes but you’d be inviting your family and whomever, too.”

“Hee! You wouldn’t have to worry about that– I don’t speak to my family. And I don’t have any friends.”

“Hmm… Same here… It would be a very lonely wedding…” Mona suddenly shook herself, realizing where their conversation had steered, “I-in theory!”

“Oh, of course, heehee! All hypothetical,” said Plague Knight, nodding quickly.

There was a short silence.

“…A lonely wedding sounds rather nice, actually,” said Plague Knight, after a while, “I mean. Hypothetically.”

“How so?”

“W-well! It would cut out all the nonsense… just have it be something special… for two people only, heehee…”

Mona raised an eyebrow, “It wouldn’t really be a wedding anymore, then, would it? What would you call that?”

“Oh, I… suppose not, heehee! I don’t know…” Plague Knight swallowed and looked away, a slightly melancholy cast to his gaunt features, now, “You’ve always been better at nomenclature. I’m just spitballing, heh…”

There was yet another silence. Mona watched him, brow furrowed, before shifting, slightly.

“Well. Even if it’s not a wedding, I agree. It does sound nice.”

Plague Knight turned his head, slightly, his dark grey eyes sliding over to focus on her. “Er, really..? Even… with someone like me?"

Mona’s frown deepened.

“Ugh, no, of course not,” she saw her partner flinch, and hastened to finish her little joke, “I’d only be able to stand it with you.”

Plague Knight gave her a desperate grimace of confusion, and Mona clapped a hand over her face.

“I mean–– You said, you said, someone ‘like’ you, not you specifically, and I was just…” she trailed off and slumped over, “Ugh… never mind. That was terrible…”

Plague Knight let out a nervous little cackle which seemed to contain an undercurrent of relief. 

“Eehee– I think I know what you were going for, now. Forgive me, I should have known better! One must never mince words during scientific study!”

Mona peeked out from behind her fingers, peering at her partner’s whiskery face, which was once again hooked into a lopsided grin.   
She still felt guilty for the rather harsh tone of her joke, as well as her previous refusal to comfort Plague Knight about his looks. She just didn’t want to lie to him, or patronize him… but he struggled enough with his self-image as it was. Revealing his face and feelings to her must have been a monumental effort. She wanted him to know how much she appreciated it, how much it all meant to her, and how highly she thought of him… 

Scowling deeply, she conjured all of her resolve. As bad as she was at expressing her emotions, she wanted to try– she wanted to push past that barrier of self-preservation and show him at least a little glimpse of her heart.

“Listen. Plague Knight,” Mona drew in a deep breath and looked up at him, “…I hate being social. I hate talking to strangers, and pretending to be courteous, and making speeches. But… But I’d have the biggest, fanciest wedding on the face of the planet, if you wanted that.”

She saw Plague Knight blink in surprise, then fidget, his crooked grin wobbling ever so slightly, “W-well, lucky for you, I don’t. I’d hate that as much as you, heehee…”

“But– Then, if you wanted your quiet little… Twoding–“

Plague Knight choked, “I–I’m sorry– Tooting?!”

“Two–– Wed–– TWO-PERSON WEDDING,” Mona squawked, already turning the colour of a clear summer sky, “Shut up! I’m just spitballing! A-anyway––“

She composed herself again, smoothing out the rumples in her gown and frowning into her lap as she did so. 

“I-I… I’d like that,” she said, at length, “Even if it was just two of us swearing some kind of oath, alone in a grimy, candlelit cell, somewhere– if- if that made you happy… I’d be happy to do it. Because you… you make me happy.”

After a moment, she reached out tentatively and took Plague Knight’s hand. She felt him flinch a little, but soon after his fingers curled into hers. She squeezed, gently, as she continued.

“…You really do. You and alchemy make me really, really happy.”

The heat from her cheeks seemed to be enveloping her entire body, now, spreading from her face into her chest and then her extremities as she continued to speak. And as she spoke, she knew she meant the words more than anything else she’d ever said in her life. 

“And… and I could… I want to live every day of my life, the happiest I’ve ever been, just… just learning, and inventing, and Knowing… alongside you.”

And suddenly, there was pain. Excruciating, flesh-rending, as if a flaming knife had cleaved through her chest. Mona gagged and doubled over, drawing away from her partner and clutching herself, rigidly. She felt Plague Knight move in front of her, jostling the bed.

“Mona? Mona–?!”

The agony refused to abate– in fact, it seemed to be getting stronger. Mona could barely breath as her lungs, her stomach, her very bones were seized by this inescapable fire. Plague Knight’s hands were on her, now, but she quickly lost track of the sensation as the pain blotted out her senses. Her partner’s voice was swallowed up in a loud ringing, and Mona could perceive nothing but her frenzied shuddering, the heat, the all-consuming flames–

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas, guys. My gift to you is smooching and a cliffhanger! --T.S.


	4. The Meeting

Mona didn’t realize she’d blacked out until she found herself coming around. At first, she wasn’t sure where she was, nor what had just occurred prior. At the moment, she found herself in a sort of fog of soft blackness. Her senses seemed dulled, as if she was experiencing everything through a veil. Despite this, she could feel that her back was pressed against something soft, and it felt very warm and cozy. Her front felt cool and a little damp. In fact, there seemed to be some kind of object, or objects, pressed around her body, which were apparently the source of that feeling.

Mona’s eyes flickered open, and she found herself looking up at the ceiling of her fourposter bed. Glancing down, she saw that there were dozens of beakers packed against her sides, under the crooks of her arms, between her legs… They were all smoking, gently, wafting a breeze over her body. 

As Mona shifted in an attempt to see further, she heard a faint gasp.

“Mona?”

The word sounded hoarse, congested, as if uttered by someone who had been crying. Mona turned her head to see Plague Knight, sitting by her side in her desk chair. He was leaning forwards slightly, his hands braced on the mattress. His mask was back in place, hiding his expression from her once more, though Mona could guess it wasn’t a happy one based on the sound of his voice.

“M-Mona..!”

“Plague… Wha…”

Plague Knight let out a cackle of deranged laughter and tore at his hood.

“I-it worked! The cooling process worked..! Hee! Heeheehee!! I-I-I thought I’d… t-thought I’d…” he sagged, and cupped his beak in his hands, “…lost you.”

Mona stared, uncomprehendingly.

“Wha… happ’n..?

“Y-you– you doubled over, as if in great pain– then you started to overheat– hee! You nearly set the bed alight, but I managed to douse you just in time! But you didn’t stop heating and you weren’t b-breathing, so– so I–“

He motioned to the bottles, “Frost potions! The same formula you invented for the Frost Burst! I hoped that if I cooled you down, maybe…” 

Mona felt confusion cloud her hazy brain even further. She did remember a scorching pain, now, but it seemed so far away… she felt so comfortable and cozy, now, though not strong enough to rouse herself, yet. 

“-a-and you were so hot, I-I couldn’t even touch you! Your jewel’s setting melted, for goodness sake! I-I had to cut the section of fabric off to prevent it from burning you, but the jewel– I-I couldn’t…”

Mona glanced down weakly, and sure enough, there was a jagged, clumsy patch of fabric missing from the neck of her gown. Her jewel was laying flat against her chest, bereft of the golden casing that had once carried it, and the flesh beneath it seemed to have attained the same blue hue; Mona realized that she was extremely flushed. She must have a fever of some sort…

“Heehee– D-don’t worry, Mona!” Plague Knight moved to get up, “Now that you’re awake, I’ll have you right as rain in moment! I’ll just go brew you up a cooling solution, and–“

“Wait… Plague Knight…” Mona reached out to him, taking hold of the trailing sleeve of his robes. At the same time, the bottles all around her vanished in a small flash of blue, “…Stay…”

There was a small silence as the pair stared at each other. Then Plague Knight wordlessly settled back into his seat, and leaned into her, placing one taloned hand over hers. Mona pulled his hand closer, and Plague Knight had to lean over her a little so as not to let go.  
As time passed, Plague Knight sagged, drooping lower and lower, until he gave up and laid his head on her chest. Mona reached up and tucked an arm around him, pulling him closer still. His weight was warm and comforting, like the way she’d felt upon waking up. Now seized by that peculiar feeling once more, Mona slipped back into unconsciousness, cradling her partner in her arms.

 

\- - -

 

When Mona awoke next, she found herself on her side, curled up around something small and breathing. Shifting slightly, she realized she’d rolled over in bed, clutching her partner like an oversized teddybear.   
For a moment, she blearily worried she might have overheated him during her slumber. But her partner seemed to be sleeping soundly, his chest rising and falling comfortably.   
Mona hesitated, then nestled back into position, resting her chin on his head. This would usually be wildly outside of her comfort zone; Mona hated to be in close proximity to anyone for an extended period of time, much less actually spooning them.  
But then again, this was Plague Knight, and he seemed to be able to get away with a lot of things that would usually make Mona extremely uncomfortable. And Mona herself had initiated the contact in the first place… if she remembered correctly. She felt fairly lucid now, but most of her recent memories were blurry and indistinct. All she knew was that she’d had an attack of some sort, and her partner’s presence was a great comfort. 

She lay there for a few more minutes, waging a mental battle between wanting to get up and wanting to stay where it was warm and cuddly. Alas, it seemed Plague Knight finally made the decision for her, shifting in her arms and grunting as he awoke.

“Ghh… Whas…” 

It took him a moment to get his bearings. Once he did, he jerked back in shock.

“M–M––“

“Sorry– I’ll let go.”

Mona shuffled back, away from her partner, and Plague Knight flailed around on the blanket, helplessly.

“I–I–I-I––“

“Was that too much..? I was kind of out of it… I’m sorry,” Mona muttered, sheepishly. 

She knew Plague Knight didn’t like to be touched, and she hadn’t meant to hold him so tightly… it seemed she’d gotten a little clingy in her sleep. Now that she was lucid again, her insecurities were fast catching up with her, sending pangs of guilt throughout her numb body. 

Plague Knight was sitting up now, his robes a little askew. 

“I, heh– Heehee! No, I– I-it’s not, I mean, I’m not– Nothing’s wrong!” he spluttered a little before taking a deep breath, “I just… never done that before.”

There was a very long silence, before Plague Knight spoke up again, “A-are you feeling better?”

“Much.”

Mona tugged the collar of her cut-up dress a little higher, self-consciously, and noticed to her surprise that her gem remained in place, even when she was sitting up. She touched it, prizing at the edges uncertainly. She could get her fingers under it, but it seemed to be connected to her body with an almost magnetic force… and putting in the full effort to remove it instinctively felt like a very bad idea.

“I-is it stuck on?” asked Plague Knight, observing Mona’s fiddling, “O-oh dear, heeheehee! W-we might have to operate–“

“It’s okay. It doesn’t hurt.”

Something told her not to worry about it. Despite how odd it was… it didn’t seem wrong. After another moment of silence, Mona shifted, pulling her knees up to her face and hiding behind them, slightly.

“Thanks. For staying with me.”

“Hee… N-no problem…”

After yet another silence, Mona let out a groan and fell back onto the mattress.

“…We should really set up that meeting with Percy.”

Plague Knight spluttered, “W-what?!”

“He’s going to start bothering us if we don’t. We might as well get it over with.”

“Mona!! I am terribly stressed! You can’t spring this on me right after I thought you’d DIED.”

Mona sat up again, smirking, “Didn’t you have a nice, calming rest in between?”

“I wouldn’t call it calming,” muttered Plague Knight, crossing his legs and folding his arms petulantly.

“Well, nevertheless, I’m not dead, and we don’t want this visit hanging over us, do we..?”

Plague Knight uncrossed his limbs and shuffled forwards, causing the mattress to squeak, “Now wait just a minute, heehee! Just because you aren’t dead, doesn’t mean you’re fine! We should really look into what happened to you! All of this is just– it’s unprecedented! We need to–”

Mona scowled, “Plague Knight, you know I overheat when I get… e-emotionally worked up. It’s happened before. This time it was just a little more severe, that’s all.”

Plague Knight inhaled sharply, as if to speak again, but no words followed. Instead he winced, folding up into a nervous-looking ball, fingers tapping.

“O-oh. I… Heehee… that’s right… I suppose we were getting rather… e-emotional, hee hee hee…”

Mona stared at him for a few moments, frowning, before narrowing her eyes.

“…Plague Knight, you’re not blaming yourself, are you?”

“W-what? Heh… hee! W-w-well it is certainly a possibility i-isn’t i––“

“No. It was a fluke,” said Mona, firmly, “…You’ve done nothing but care for me.”

There was another moment of silence that followed, before Mona slowly slid her legs over the side of the bed and stood up. 

“…Well. Let’s get this over with, shall we?”

“…Hee! Like pulling off a bandage..!”

 

After a little more reluctant loafing around, the pair began preparations to leave for the Explodatorium. Mona watched Plague Knight for further signs of guilt, but it seemed her assurance had actually reached him. He quickly regained his usual cheer, and wrote Percy a short heads-up declaring their imminent arrival. Satisfied, Mona went to the labs and set the minions in order.   
She also made a stop at her desk to begin work on a new gown. Her old one now had a large patch missing from the breast, and the heat of her body had definitely destabilized the special alchemical coating she’d applied to it. Best to start afresh. She needed to make a new clasp for her cape, too. Now that the setting of her jewel had melted, it was no longer fit to pin the fabric together.  
It took her the rest of the evening to finish the new garment, but she was satisfied with it when she tried it on; just like its predecessor, it fit perfectly, both over her body and under her lab clothes. Her new clasp worked well, too. Good…

When the next morning dawned, the two alchemists stood at the mouth of the exit to the Potionarium, facing the way to the hidden catapults.

“Well. I suppose it’s time to…” Plague Knight let out what sounded like his usual verbal tic mixed with a monumental sigh, “…go visit… Percy.”

Mona couldn’t help but snicker at his churlishness. When the pair arrived at their transportation, Mona set to fixing the weight and trajectory, then went to join her partner in the bucket. The minion attending waved brightly to them before letting loose the restraining rope and sending the two alchemists high into the sky.  
Plague Knight cackled in delight, and Mona held onto him tightly. She didn’t often use the catapults, especially not with another person. She would prefer a much more stable form of flight. Maybe they could obtain blueprints for one of Propeller Knight’s crafts? Improve the design to make it compact and easier to maneuver…   
As Mona daydreamed about the possibilities, their destination came nearer and nearer, until they were sailing just over the Explodatorium’s black turrets.

“Heehee! Here we are!” cried Plague Knight.

Mona tugged him a little closer in midair and shut her eyes, concentrating. Their descent began to slow, gradually, until they landed lightly on the earth before the huge dark castle.   
Mona gently deposited her partner on the ground and smoothed down her skirts. They had a tendency to bunch up and billow around her while she was floating. 

Once the two of them had righted themselves and made their way into the main hall through the front gates, it became apparent how much Percy’s influence had affected the place.

The inside of the Explodatorium seemed much brighter. More torches lined the walls, casting a much warmer glow over the greenish-black stones. There were new drapes and tapestries on the walls, and even some furniture scattered around. Even the minions seemed more cheerful– they had a new, relaxed way of speaking and moving, though it faltered a little in the presence of their old superiors.

“O-oh! Boss! Boss! You’re here, right on time! Please sit down– I’ll just go alert Master Percival..!”

A minion waiting in the main hall for them quickly scuttled off to go get the aforementioned Equine, and Mona and Plague Knight sat down uncertainly in a pair of handsomely upholstered chairs.

“…Well, this is new,” said Mona, quietly.

“Hee! He’s ruined my atmosphere!” grumbled Plague Knight, “This wasn’t here when I visited last..! Rrr…”

“Well, you did give him the fort,” replied Mona, smirking slightly.

“I allowed him to use it,” Plague Knight corrected, testily, folding his arms, “That nickering ninny…” 

Speaking of which, there was a sudden clip-clop across the stones.

“My friends! Welcome!”

Percy was striding in, arms outstretched, a huge smile on his long muzzle. There was a tape-measure draped over his shoulders, and his head was unusually bare, his full mop of sandy-blond mane on full display as a result.  
He was being followed by the minion from before and a tall gentleman in a long coat.

“I’m so glad you could make it!” Percy happily came to stand before the alchemists, “Please, come to my workroom! We have much to discuss!”

He promptly turned around and beckoned his visitors after him. The tall gentleman in the coat let out a groan of frustration and thumped his ruby-tipped cane against the ground.

“Would you stop rushing around like a Chicken with his hat cut off?!” he cried, furiously, “I can hardly measure your head if you continue to rush about!”

“Oh, my apologies, good haberdasher!” replied Percy, apologetically, “I promise I shall stand still as a hitching post when we’re back in the main room!”

The gentleman sighed and shook his bronze-helmeted head. 

“First a sea of hoods… now a Stallion who never stops straying..! What’s next?!”

It was at that point that he turned a little and caught sight of the two alchemists properly. He gave a start of shock, then thrust the tip of his cane in Plague Knight’s direction.

“YOU!”

Plague Knight flinched, and Mona glanced between the pair in confusion.

“THIS HIVE OF HOODS IS YOUR DOING!! I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN!”

Plague Knight giggled, “Well, hello again to you, too, heehee! Long time no see!”

Mona glanced across at Percy, who stared back at her with wide, surprised eyes.

“Do you two… know each other?” he asked, looking rather shaken.

“This scofflaw refuses to accept the superiority of hats!” cried the tall gentleman, brandishing his cane, “Is this really the company you keep, Sir Percival?!”

Percy half-laughed, half-whinnied, his downward-pointing ears betraying his anxiety.

“There must be a misunderstanding, Mr. Hat,” he said, waving his hooves placatingly, “My friend Plague Knight is an upstanding fellow of great taste! Whatever your quarrel is, I’m sure it–“

“Heh, listen. I don’t have time to argue with this mercury-addled merchant,” interrupted Plague Knight, contemptuously, “Hats are frivolous, and they’re useless to science. You want to know why all MY minions are dressed in hoods, good sir? Because hoods don’t get blown clean off and leave you open to ballistic damage, heehee!”

Mr. Hat, as he seemed to be called, trembled with rage.

“How… DARE you!”

Mona watched the heated conversation in amused silence. She had heard of, in passing, a mad hatter who worked in the Armour Outpost. She’d never expected to meet him, though, and especially not here. 

“I cannot work under these conditions!” cried Mr. Hat, thumping his cane again.

“Oh, please don’t leave!” whimpered Percy, “Please– I’m sure we can all get along! Heh– perhaps we can tell a few jokes to break the ice! Sir Plague Knight is terribly funny– I’m sure you’ll get to like him once he–“

“I don’t need to tell any jokes. There’s one in a bronze helmet standing right in front of me, heehee!”

Plague Knight doubled up with laughter, and Mr. Hat bristled.

“I shan’t even plan another STITCH until that blackguard recants his LIES!”

“Fine by me, heehee!”

Percy looked between the two men, before peering beseechingly into Mona’s eyes. Mona glanced away quickly, pursing her lips and folding her arms. This really wasn’t any of her business… But she supposed Percy didn’t deserve to be caught in the fallout of whatever was between these two.  
She sighed and relented, stepping forward.

“What is your opinion on… helmets, er… Mr. Hat?” 

The man turned around and craned his neck to look up at Mona.

“Helmets..? Fine, metal hats, of course!”

“I see… and do you make them, as well?” 

“Why… yes. On occasion.”

“Helmets aren’t hats,” quipped Plague Knight, but Mona ignored him.

“I’ve always thought helmets were rather dashing,” she continued, “So gallant… and shiny.”

“Now, here we have a lady of taste,” said Mr. Hat, perking up, “Are you interested in buying, madame?”

“Mm, I’m not sure I could carry a helmet myself” said Mona, “Perhaps someone more… Knightly than I. I just think they look handsome, personally.” 

She glanced surreptitiously downwards, and caught the angle of Plague Knight’s beak. It seemed he was taking the bait. 

“They certainly do!” cried Mr. Hat, happily, “I’ve seen the most enchanting helms in all the land… One haunts my dreams to this very day. A horned barbute of a lovely cerulean hue…” 

He seemed lost in his reverie until Mona coughed, “Well. Are we heading to the main chamber, now?” 

“Oh, yes!” cried Percy, hopefully, “Let’s–“

“Not with him!” cried Mr. Hat, regaining his previous ire and pointing accusatorially at Plague Knight, “I refuse to share a room with this cad!” 

Plague Knight ducked his head, fiddling with his staff.

“Heh, the feeling is mutual,” he muttered, “Hats are stupid. Uuuhhh… But…”

There was a small silence, before Plague Knight glanced up, stiffly, “…I would admit that helmets are useful.”

Mr. Hat retracted his finger, slowly, “Oh..?”

“…Yes. They’re heavy enough not to fall off in the wind, heheh,” Plague Knight continued to fidget, “And they have straps to keep them on securely… they’re designed for battle, heehee! Yes. H-helmets are… good.”

There was a small silence, and Mr. Hat tugged thoughtfully at his high collar, “Well… If you acknowledge the superiority of helmets… I suppose that technically extends to hats…”

“I didn’t say–“

“Perhaps you are not so unreasonable after all, sirrah..!” Mr. Hat slammed his fist into the palm of his hand, vertically, in a motion of excitement, “I shall make you the most heavenly helmet! And then you shall truly see the divinity of hats!!” 

“Wait! I-I––“

“Let us away to the main chamber! Sir Percival’s chapeau is still in the works..!”

And with that, Mr. Hat was off, his coattails swishing behind him. Percy quickly trotted after him, and Mona and Plague Knight were left to bring up the rear.   
Plague Knight was silent and mopey as they moved, and Mona was smirking. Good lords. What a day…

 

When they finally arrived in the ‘main chamber’ -which turned out to be the largest lab on the main floor- they found themselves in yet another room blessed by Percy’s decorative touches. What had once been a lab full of gleaming equipment was now filled with stacks of paper, pots of ink, half-finished catapult models cleared out of the way and walls full of ballistic blueprints. 

The Magicist was sitting at a table on a raised platform, speaking to an enormous, maskless minion, and there was a young man at the far end of the room, trying to load a huge, crystalline boomerang into a small catapult. 

“Now, Sir Percival, please do as you promised,” said Mr. Hat, beckoning Percy over to a full-length mirror surrounded by tables full of moulds and fabrics. 

Percy obliged, trotting over, and the pair of alchemists tried to find someplace to sit in the meantime. 

“What has he done to the place,” whined Plague Knight, “It’s a Pigsty, heehee! or should I say, a Horse-sty…”

“Isn’t that your friend,” said Mona, pointing up to the man next to the Magicist, “…The Baz?”

Plague Knight glanced up, “Oh, yes. Heh– This is where he ran off to, eh? I suppose Percy is a little more his speed, heeheehee…” 

Mona had only seen this hulking minion a few times hanging around Percy and the Magicist’s stalls back at the Potionarium. He’d appeared suddenly one day, claiming to have been recruited by ‘the little man himself’. She remembered thinking that he seemed quite out of place. He was one of the few people who was actually taller than her, and with his broad shoulders and huge arms, he was practically a wall of a man. He stood out from the smaller, scrawnier bunch of minions like a sore thumb, and his refusal to don a mask made him all the stranger.   
The only time she’d ever interacted with him directly, he’d called her ‘the cool science chick everyone’s afraid of’ and asked if she needed any advice on tying knots. 

Mona was very curious to know what he could be talking about with the Magicist of all people, but she was prevented from going to investigate by a sudden cry.

“HEY! Plague Knight!”

Mona glanced up to see the young man from the back of the room come rushing over. He was dressed in baggy, mismatched clothing, and a long yellow scarf trailed behind him. Bright brown eyes peeked out from behind a mop of shaggy black hair held back by a red headband, and a huge grin plastered his boyish face. 

“Oh! Heh, hi, kid…” said Plague Knight, sounding rather taken-aback, but surprisingly welcoming, “Fancy seeing you here, heehee…”

“Yeah! It’s been a long time! I decided to follow my fellow wanderers here, cause they were all going, and WOW! It’s so cool! I’ve never seen so many catapults in… ever!!”

Plague Knight snorted.

“And Sir Percival is twice as cool! Did you know he’s a love-guru? He’s giving me all this free advice on how to talk to girls, it’s great! I don’t even NEED a love potion anymore, haha! Are you friends with him?”

Plague Knight drummed his fingers on the head of his staff and snickered, “…In a manner of speaking, heehee..!” 

The enthusiastic young man quickly turned his attention to Mona, craning his neck to peer up at her. For a moment, a shadow of doubt passed over his face. It was a strange expression, as if he were trying to recall something unpleasant, but couldn’t quite manage. But then it passed, and he beamed again.

“Hi! Are you here to see Sir Percival too?”

“…Yes,” said Mona, uncertainly.

“You’re really tall!”

“…Thanks…” 

“This is my partner–“ said Plague Knight, quickly coming to her rescue, “Mona.”

“Wow! So are you a famous alchemist too? Maybe not so famous, cuz I’ve never heard of you…” babbled the young man, “My name’s Reize! I’m a wandering knight! Nice to meet you!” 

Mona stifled a reflexive yawn. She was trying not to fall back on old habits. She probably shouldn’t chase the boy off, and since Plague Knight seemed to approve of him -after a fashion- he probably wasn’t so bad… But then again, Mona was terrible at small talk.

“…I’ve never heard of you, either,” she said, at length, “I suppose we have something in common.”

The young man beamed, “Yeah! Maybe we have even more stuff in common, too! What–”

Mona quickly interrupted him before he could inquire any further, “Ah, I saw you fiddling with one of Percy’s catapults. Did you manage to get it working?” 

Reize’s face fell, “Aw, no– I wanted to see if it could launch one of my boomerangs! But I couldn’t figure out how to unleash the bucket…” 

Mona glanced over to Percy, who was still being fussed over by Mr. Hat.

“…Perhaps I can set you up,” she said, finally, “Then you can launch boomerangs to your hearts content.”

“Wow, really? Do you know about catapults? Did Sir Percival teach you?!”

“No, I study ballistics in my spare time.” 

‘And even if I didn’t,’ she mused, privately, ‘I’m sure I could figure out Percy’s contraption anyway.’

She gave Plague Knight a little wave, then followed Reize over to the small catapult.

“It’s locked down with some kinda funny gizmo,” said Reize, pointing to the construct, eagerly. 

Mona knelt down to inspect it. Just as the young man had said, the usual simple string tying down the bucket had been replaced with some kind of mechanical fastening. Clearly, Percy had been experimenting. 

“Hmm…”

The lock was a vertical cylinder, with a branching groove cut into the length of it. A small metal tab was sticking out of the groove at the bottom. Mona reached out and flicked it with the tip of her finger. It moved.

“Oh, I see. A combination lock,” she said, quickly taking hold of the tab and moving it slowly up through the groove. There was clearly some kind of key involved… but what? 

Mona took a moment to count the notches in the groove. There were twenty six on each side. It could be arbitrary. Or it could represent the letters of the alphabet. That seemed like the sort of thing Percy would implement if he was trying to be tricky. 

“By that logic, it’s a word-key… Let’s see…” 

Mona tried moving the tab to the sixteenth, fifth, eighteenth, third and twenty-fifth slots. Nothing happened. There could be a deeper intricacy to this– since there were slots on both sides, it meant that each of the letters of the code had two choices to successfully unlock the mechanism, as well as being ordered up or down… if it was letter based at all. 

‘Think like Percy,’ she thought to herself, ‘He has his moments, but he’s far from a genius…’

If it was alphabetical, the letters probably started from the bottom, as the tab stuck out from the bottom at its starting position. A long word might be too hard to remember, with these variables, and a little tricky to input quickly without markings for the slots. Mona cast around for another word, one that might suit Percy’s flighty mind a little better.

She tried fifteen, one, twenty and nineteen, all on the right side. Nothing. All on the left side. Nothing. After some fiddling, Mona finally went bottom to top, alternating sides, and the device sprang open, letting the bucket free.

Reize let out an appreciative whoop.

“Wow!! You did it!” he cried, rushing forwards, “Awesome!”

Mona straightened up, calmly, “Enjoy.”

Reize happily pulled the bucket of the miniature catapult back down and loaded his boomerang into it. Mona was just about to leave, when Reize called out again.

“Uhh, Ms. Mona? I… accidentally locked it again.”

She turned back to see him bashfully rubbing the back of his neck, the mechanism back in place. Mona sighed. She was impatient to get back to Percy and have their little talk so that this visit could end. Reflexively, she raised her left hand and snapped her fingers. With a small burst of warmth, the lock lit up with a blue glow, and the tab began to move on its own, swiftly sliding into the correct grooves.   
Mona stared in astonishment. She’d never done anything like that before. She could summon objects, and banish them, but she could only move things from one place to another instantly. Apart from her very carefully prepared spell for processing Cipher Coins, she’d never caused any sort of sustained motion before.

“Oh, wow! You’re a magic user?” Reize beamed, before faltering again, as he had when he first met her. His brows knit and he shut his eyes, momentarily pressing a hand to his temple, “Ah… Somehow… I feel like I should’ve known that…” 

“Ah…” Mona shifted her weight, hesitating uncertainly, “Uh… The code is OATS, by the way. Bottom to top, alternating sides, starting on the left. Each notch is a letter of the Latin alphabet.” 

Reize’s expression cleared, and he grinned at her again, saluting, “Thanks!”

“Right… I’ll… be off, then. Good luck…”

Mona quickly turned and slunk away, looking for her partner. She wanted to mention her sudden bout of strange magic. She heard a clunk from behind her, accompanied by a whirling sound and an excited yelp. Good. Reize was occupied. Ahead of her came the sound of annoyed voices.

“Now really, Plague Knight! You needn’t be so coy! We’re all friends, here!”

“Hee! What part of ‘I don’t want to talk about it’ do you not understand? If you ask again, the only hat you’ll be wearing is a ten-tonne anvi––“

Plague Knight cut off as he noticed Mona approaching, flinching back and nearly knocking over the chair he’d vacated to yell at Percy. 

“Is… everything okay, over here?”

“Perfectly fine, Mona,” said Percy, amiably, unable to turn and look at her whilst he was being worked on by Mr. Hat, “I’m having my head measured for a new hat! For the wedding!”

“I see… and having some stimulating conversation, as well?” replied Mona, raising an eyebrow in wry amusement. 

“Oh, no… Just chatting,” said Percy, suddenly a little cagey.

Plague Knight guffawed.

“Oh, don’t be so coy, Percy!” he cried, devilishly, “We’re all friends, here! Tell Mona what you were badgering me about, heeheehee!”

“Er– Heh, you know, I don’t think I should be moving my jaw this much,” said Percy, quickly, “For the measuring. You know.”

He promptly clammed up. Mona scoffed, softly, and came to stand next to her partner.

“I’ll take over, if you need a break,” she muttered.

“Hee! It’s fine. You already fixed the problem.”

As if on a sudden whim, Plague Knight tipped over to the side ever so slightly so that he was tilting on one leg. In doing so, his head nudged her hip affectionately, in what Mona could only assume was a gesture of thanks. She let out an involuntary chuckle and tried not to blush.

“Heh. Well. I guess Percy’s going to be busy with Mr. Hat for a while. Let’s go talk to the Magicist. Maybe she can fill us in on what they want from us…”

“…without driving us up the wall, hee!” finished Plague Knight. 

 

Mounting the raised platform, Mona and Plague Knight found the Magicist, who was still conversing with The Baz.

“…that’s why I’m thinkin’ multicoloured bridesmaids instead of all the same. It’ll confuse the hells outta evil spirits and creepy rivals! How’re they supposed to know who’s who when everyone’s in a different dress?!” 

“Oh, yes, that sounds very clever, Mr. Baz. Thank you, I’ll write it down…”

Baz glanced up, then, and a grin split his bearded face. 

“Hey! Boss Man! Scary lady! You’re here!”

“Hello Baz,” said Plague Knight, placidly, “We’re going to steal the Magicist away from you for a moment, heehee!”

Baz saluted and pushed his chair to the side with a loud screeching of wood. Plague Knight and Mona took their own seats at the table and the Magicist greeted them in her usual airy-fairy manner.

“Um, hello, Plague Knight, Mona… I’m so glad you could make it,” she said, smiling serenely.

“Magicist! Let’s cut to the chase,” said Plague Knight, quickly, leaning forwards, “What exactly have you called us here for, hee?”

“Oh, yes, uhh… You see, we wanted you to be a part of our wedding…” said the Magicist, ponderously, “Because you’re our best friends, of course… Percy, I think, wants to ask you directly, Plague Knight…” 

“Ask me what?”

“You should ask him…”

Plague Knight drummed his fingers on the table in annoyance, “He’s currently busy being be-hatted. Besides, he had his chance to ask me about the wedding, and he chose a rather different topic of conversation, heehee!”

The Magicist clearly didn’t even begin to understand what Plague Knight was talking about. She simply stared at him uncertainly with her small green eyes. Plague Knight sighed wearily.

“…I’ll go ask him again.”

It seemed he wasn’t up for trying to explain himself to the Magicist. As he left, she watched him go, thoughtfully.

“…Is Plague Knight okay..? He seems a little out of sorts…”

“Percy wants to know how our date went,” said Mona, bluntly.

“Oh,” The Magicist nodded knowingly, “I see, um, that would explain it… Percy takes his job as romance guru very seriously, you know…”

Mona stifled a snort at the use of the word ‘job’, and ran a hand through her hair. She had a feeling that the Magicist understood their exasperation with the Stallion, but loved him too much to agree. 

“Wait…” there was a rumble from between the two women as The Baz scooched his chair forwards, eyes wide with shock, “…YOU GUYS ARE DATING?!”

 

Most of the Magicist’s questions for Mona were on decoration. Mona had no idea why the Magicist thought she would be any good at picking out what kind of flowers went where, or how many seats to a row. Yet, as the hours wore on, Mona began to realize that she simply had to think of the project as a little machine.   
She had to make sure that the guests knew where to go just by looking, and had enough space to sit, or eat, or dance. Sketching out the floor plan was like working out a blueprint for an engine; all the parts had to fit together properly so that the contraption could function smoothly.  
With this in mind, the task became far easier, and the Magicist calmly stepped in every once in a while to make sure Mona’s functionality didn’t outweigh the form. 

“Well, I’d say that’s good for a first draft,” said Mona, after jotting down one last note on one of the myriad of papers she’d filled out over the last few hours.

“Um, you’re very thorough, Mona…” said the Magicist, surveying the mess on the table.

Mona glanced down as if seeing her work for the first time. She’d completely lost track of how long she’d spent, and she felt a little embarrassed. Even Baz, who seemed quite interested in the project, had gotten up to play with Reize and the catapults instead.   
Mona winced. She was sure the Magicist hadn’t wanted an entire thesis drafted for a simple floor plan…

“I…” 

“Mona, uh… I wanted to ask you something,” said the Magicist, saving Mona from attempting any sheepish apologies, “Um, you see, when you have a wedding… the bride is supposed to be, um, accompanied by maids. Brides-maids.”

Mona nodded, “…Yes…”

She had a hunch where this was going.

“And, well… you’re the cleverest woman I know. And your magic is very powerful, I can feel it,” said the Magicist, leaning forward sincerely, “I can’t think of anyone else who would be, um, strong enough to protect me on my wedding day. So. Would you be my maid of honour?” 

Mona tried not to sag. She hadn’t been expecting maid of honour, exactly, but she had correctly guessed that the Magicist would ask her to be one of her bridesmaids. Mona had hoped that her involvement in the wedding would extend only to planning and light attending… But she supposed she couldn’t refuse. Weddings did tend to attract trouble-makers, and Mona disliked the idea of the Magicist’s ‘big day’ being interfered with.  
She was a strange, spacey woman, but a brilliant magic-user and professional. That, and the Magicist was generally polite and respectful when it came to Mona’s personal comfort. Mona might almost consider her something of a friend… 

“…Of course. Should anything happen, I’ll make sure you are safe while you continue the ceremony.”

The Magicist’s unfocused face broke into a wide, sweet smile, and she bowed.

“Oh, thank you… I was hoping you’d say yes..! You’ll make a wonderful maid of honour… Mr. Baz even has a dress planned out for you… for maximum intimidation…”

Mona was morbidly curious to see what Baz had dreamed up, exactly, but she was quickly distracted by three sets of approaching footsteps.

“Well, my sweet sorceress, what do you think?”

Percy and Plague Knight had returned, followed closely by a rather proud-looking Mr. Hat. Percy was sporting some impressive new headgear. It was even more ostentatious and resplendent than his usual one, with fur trim and ribbons of red and blue surrounding. The feather, which was clearly peacock, seemed to send little rainbows glancing off it whenever it caught the light. Mona choked back a cackle. The Magicist swooned.

“Oh, you look so gallant, my darling..!” she cried, leaping from her chair to embrace him. 

Mona avoided watching the proceedings, instead looking around for Plague Knight. She noticed that he was standing just behind Percy, as if hiding slightly, though the sudden attack of affection flushed him out.  
Mona had to hold back another cackle as he came into view. It seemed that Mr. Hat had gotten to him after all. While Plague Knight was assuredly not wearing a hat, Mr. Hat had managed to affix a feather and some trim to his hood. Plague Knight seemed rather cross about it.  
He shuffled over to Mona and took the Magicist’s vacated seat, heavily.

“Well, hello handsome,” Mona teased, trying to ignore the sound of Percy and the Magicist.

Plague Knight sunk lower into his seat, “D-don’t tease…” 

“I’m not,” lied Mona, smirking, “Just appreciating your new look.”

“This isn’t appreciating,” said Plague Knight, dryly, “THAT is appreciating.”

He jabbed his thumb at Percy and the Magicist, and Mona made a face.

“I think now would be a good time to take our leave, heehee!”

“Couldn’t agree more, partner…”

And so, bidding some hasty adieus to their unheedful hosts, Mona and Plague Knight slipped out of the Explodatorium and headed for the catapult. 

 

“YUCK! I won’t be able to eat for a week!” squawked Plague Knight as he tramped through the grass towards the large contraption next to the huge black castle.

Mona followed quietly, still smirking. Neither of them were fond of Percy and the Magicist’s public displays of affection. But their mutual disgust reminded Mona of their own attempts to perfect the messy art of embracing, and that put her in a good mood. The memory of Plague Knight’s ugly, enthralling countenance was still fresh in her mind. Maybe she could convince him to show her again..? Maybe this time she could articulate how wonderful it really was…

“Hee! Alright! That should do it,” came Plague Knight’s voice from the direction of the catapult, shaking Mona out of her reverie.

She internally scolded herself for mooning over him so much and hurried over. Plague Knight had already climbed into the bucket, and was pressed up against the side to make room for her. She stepped in next to him and loosed the cord.   
With a violent force, the pair were flung skyward, back towards the village. Plague Knight clung to Mona’s skirts tightly, and Mona kept her arm firmly around his shoulders. They had to stay close to prevent any deviation in their path, and to reduce wind-resistance. But it was also a nice excuse to hold each other. 

When they finally reached the end of their flight, Mona prudently slowed them as usual, and the two alchemists touched down gently in the grassy clearing just outside The Village.  
They stood there for a few moments, peering through the trees at the sunset that had slowly begun to envelop them as they flew. Then, as usual, they noticed they were lingering, and quickly broke apart.

“Ahah… Ha… Well, heehee! Home again! And away from that infernal place.”

“It’s your own laboratory,” scoffed Mona.

“Any place containing Percy is infernal,” muttered Plague Knight, reaching up to tug at the trim stitched into his hood, “Heehee, blast! This is really stuck on tight..!”

“I can banish it. …I think,” Mona offered.

“Oh, would you, heehee?”

Mona frowned at the scalloped piece of cloth and then snapped her fingers. In a flash, it unravelled, stitches unknotting themselves and disappearing into thin air, leaving Plague Knight’s hood in its original shape.

“Hee!” Plague Knight felt the area, happily, “Excellent! Heehee– that magic of yours is really something! I w–– hey! The feather’s still there!!”

Mona grinned, “I like the feather…”

Plague Knight hunched his shoulders and clutched his hood, sheepishly, “…You have terrible taste.”

“Apparently so. I like you too, after all,” Plague Knight winced, and Mona snorted, “You walked right into that one.”

“Heeheehee! I did, didn’t I!”

There was orange and pink bouncing off the green sheen of Plague Knight’s mask, and the air was pleasantly cool… Mona swallowed and clenched her fists, hesitating. She didn’t want to go back to the labs, just yet. But dare she ask..? 

“Um. You know. We’ve been gone all day,” she began, haltingly, her expression reflexively flat as a brick wall, “You know what happens when we both leave the lab.”

Plague Knight wilted, “Oh dear gods. What do you suppose they’ve messed up this time, heehee?” 

“I don’t know… could be anything,” Mona continued, adjusting a few wrinkles in her sleeves, “I don’t really want to go back and find out… yet. We could, um…”

Mona steeled herself, “We could go for a walk, instead.”

Thankfully, Plague Knight seemed to perk up at her suggestion. 

“Hee! Grand idea! Where shall we walk?”

“The wood at the edge of the Plains is nice,” said Mona, quickly. 

Plague Knight simply pointed his beak up at her and held out his hand. Mona took it, a little stiffly, and they set off, across the grass.

 

It was nice, walking alone, listening to the faint sounds of the woods and watching the sun sink below the horizon. Their nerves remained high for a time, and they were silent. Mona could feel Plague Knight’s narrow, sharp nails digging into her glove a little. She was sure her own fingers were vicelike around his palm.   
Eventually, Plague Knight spoke up, relieving some of the tension.

“Well. I’m to be Percy’s best man at the wedding. Can you imagine that–– hee! Me, being invited to a wedding… and playing a central role?”

Mona chuckled, “It does seem like a recipe for disaster, doesn’t it.”

“Weehee! If I can get away with it!”

“I’m going to be the Magicist’s maid of honour… so I suppose we’ll be playing corresponding parts.”

“Heh, our social circle really is quite small, isn’t it.”

“I know… You’d think Percy and the Magicist would have more friends.”

“Hee! I don’t know; Percy’s an irritating gadabout, and few people populate the clouds the Magicist’s head is always stuck in. I think we’ve done them a service by befriending them, don’t you?”

Mona snorted, “Oh yes. We’re absolute saints.” 

Plague Knight tumbled into a fit of cackles, and Mona realized their grips on each others hands had loosened comfortably. She couldn’t help but smile, a little.

“Hee..! Well. I’m not looking forward to cramming myself into a… what are those things called? Propeller Knight’s always wearing them…”

“…A suit?” suggested Mona, uncertainly.

“Yes! A soot! Percy wants the wedding to be modern and fashionable. He says we all have to wear these… soots. I thought he meant a suit of armour, at first.”

“Well, at least you’ll look smart. Apparently my dress is going to be designed by The Baz himself. Tailored for ‘maximum intimidation’.”

Plague Knight spluttered, choking on his own laughter, “H–h-he what?!”

Mona gave him a little push, “Alright. Don’t suffocate yourself…”

Plague Knight took a little while to calm down. When he did, he jostled his mask a little, as if wiping away tears. Mona watched him out of the corner of her eyes. Should she ask?

“Um… Plague Knight?”

“Yes..?”

Mona froze, breath caught in her throat. Why couldn’t she just say it? What was she afraid of..?

“…So… Mr. Hat got at you, huh…”

She couldn’t do it. Not yet. Perhaps if circumstances were more fortuitous, like back in her bedroom… 

“Hee! Yes… I had to be civil to him, and he took it as an invitation,” Plague Knight sighed and pawed at the feather still in his hood, “Said he’d try to work with a hood, for once. Tried to turn it into a hat anyway. And he didn’t even mention helmets..!”

His last words sounded rather put-out. Mona wondered how much stock he’d put into her little ruse about liking the things. 

“Did you want a helmet?” she asked, slyly.

“…No! Not… really,” Plague Knight said, quickly, “I don’t really have a face for– I-I mean, it would really slow me down…”

He paused, for a moment, “…Heh. I’d look stupid in one, anyway.” 

There was another silence, before Mona shrugged, lightly.

“…Well, no great loss. You’re already my knight in shining armour, anyway.”

A wave of heat lurched up her throat the moment the words left her mouth. She hadn’t meant to say it like that– she’d wanted to tell him he wouldn’t look too out of place in a helmet, and the sentiment had simply gotten a little out of hand.   
All she could hope for was Plague Knight becoming bashful and putting them on even emotional ground… Unfortunately, he decided to find it amusing, instead. Because of course he did.

“Ohhh, hee hee hee! I’m your knight in shiny armour, am I?!”

“Oh… Don’t…” Mona hissed, grimacing. There was no defending herself, now. 

“Heeheehee! My lady! Art thou embarrassèd by thine admission? Dost thou regret it? Forsooth! Your countenance resembles the day-lit sky!”

“Ugh…” Mona tugged her hand out of his and folded her arms, turning away.

Plague Knight didn’t seem to mind. She heard him drop to his knee in the grass behind her.

“Be not mad, my lady! Your observation is correct! Doth I not wear armour? Doth it not shine brightly in yon moonlight? Heehee! Art I not… Am I not… Er, heh, it’s art, isn’t it? Oh blast…”

Plague Knight faltered, and then Mona heard him sit down in the grass with a soft thud.

“…I am yours, at least,” he said, quietly. 

Mona stood there for a moment, before turning around and sitting down next to him.

“Well… of course… why do you think I said so..?”

Plague Knight tilted his head, “Heehee… You look as nice when you’re blue as you do when you’re green, you know. I must confess, I like causing the change.” 

He giggled into his hand -or rather, he placed a hand over the top of his beak as he chuckled- and Mona couldn’t help but join in.

“That’s not fair. I can’t even see your face…” she murmured.

Plague Knight stopped laughing and swallowed.

“Oh. I. Well… Er, heehee, we already had to see Percy and the Magicist checking each others tonsils. I think we should keep the horrific sights to a minimum…” he smoothed his robes, “And it’s such a lovely evening… it would be a shame to spoil it.”

Mona was silent for a few moments, before propping her chin up on her knees and gazing out into the forest.

“…Your face isn’t horrific,” she said, after a while, very quietly. She scuffed her boot against the grass, thinking over her words, “…When I said you were ugly… it was because I didn’t want to lie to you…”

Plague Knight snorted, and Mona elbowed him, gently, “Let me finish! I didn’t want to patronize you, and pretend that… I mean, it just felt like… if I said you were handsome, it would have made you feel even worse. Like I was lying because I pitied you, or something. And… I know you hate that.” 

She frowned down at her feet, “But like I said, I don’t find you… unattractive…”

She chanced a glance over at her partner, who’s mask was inscrutable. His body-language seemed hesitant, though. Mona pursed her lips.   
She’d promised herself, after that night at the Tower of Fate, that she would be more open. It was her silence and cowardice that had nearly killed Plague Knight, after all. If she’d just been brave enough to tell him her feelings, he’d never have tried to create the Serum Supernus -at least all on his own- and he’d never have been in such danger. It was all her fault…  
Now, perhaps, things were different… but it couldn’t hurt to learn to express herself. Learn to be a little more vulnerable… at least, for him.

“You really do make me happy,” she muttered, “I’ve been… h… happier. Since I met you. You were… You’re… You…”

Mona grappled with her words, trying to figure out how to explain without shutting down due to mortification, “You’re like… the sun?”

Plague Knight cocked his head, “Hee– The sun? You mean I’ll blind you if you look at me straight on for too long?”

“No,” Mona rolled her eyes, “You’re… bright. A-and warm… And under your light, I can see… in colour…”

There was a long silence. Anxiety clawed at Mona’s insides, and she quickly back-pedalled, “Never… never mind, it, I…”

“Heh, er, would you wait here, a second? I’ll be back.”

Plague Knight stood up quickly and scuttled off into the bushes, leaving Mona befuddled and dismayed. Oh gods. She really was bad at articulating her thoughts– she must have said something wrong. Being genuine about her feelings was so difficult, and every time she tried it just felt so phoney… Teasing him was just so much easier… It felt so much more affectionate and natural. Yet she sometimes worried she went too far… that he didn’t realize the warmth behind her stinging words. But if she couldn’t tease him, and she couldn’t complement him properly, then what, what–

The sound of footsteps crunching over twigs broke her out of her little spiral, and Mona turned to see Plague Knight returning. For a moment, something seemed wrong about his silhouette, until Mona realized, to her shock, that he wasn’t wearing his mask.

As he emerged from the bushes, he came to stand under the moonlight with her, and his face came into view from the shadows of his hood. Hollow cheeks, bulging, purple-ringed eyes, pale-green skin. Mona noticed, to her amusement, that his chin appeared to be stubble-less this time. Just as promised. 

He flopped back onto the grass next to her and flashed his teeth.

“Well, if I’m the sun, then so be it! I’ll light up the night, heehee!” he giggled, “Note to self… add bioluminescence, next time…” 

Mona’s lips wobbled into a smirk and she shut her eyes.

“Ahh– So hot! I’m melting,” she said, sarcasm pervading her words despite the fact that she really rather meant them.

Plague Knight snickered and loomed over her as best he could, wiggling his fingers, “Oh yes! HEE! I’m ever so sultry! How will you ever survive?!”

“I’ll just have to be my cold old self,” Mona shot back, her smirk widening.

“Ahh! Glacial! My powers can’t compete!” squealed Plague Knight, falling back and pretending to shiver, “I’m freezing over! Eeeheehee!”

Mona stifled a laugh, then fell into silence, simply staring.

“…Heh, alright, I’m not getting cold, anymore,” said Plague Knight, after a little while, turning sheepish under her gaze, “Heh… heh… definitely feeling a little steamy, now.” 

Mona blushed and looked away. She was actually exuding heat, as she usually did when she was feeling worked up. 

“You know…” she heard Plague Knight shuffle a little closer, next to her, “Eheh, it seems a… a shame to just sit here, while I’m without my mask. It’s something of a rare occurrence, wouldn’t you say?”

“Definitely,” replied Mona, quietly.

“Seems a little wasteful not to put it to good use,” he continued, hesitantly, “I-I mean. Hee! If you, um…”

Mona turned and glanced down at him. He was peering at her out of the corner of his eyes, only half of his face visible under his hood.   
After a moment’s deliberation, Mona reached out gingerly and tugged the cloth covering back. It really was a treat to get to see him. The way his grey eyes twitched minutely back and forth as he stared at her, his narrow lips slightly parted to reveal his teeth, the blotchy red blush melding poorly with the rest of his pale green cheeks…

“…Yes… You make a good point. Seems a shame to waste it…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey folks! Hope you like this chapter– I'm going to be away for a week so unfortunately I won't be able to post anything. Hopefully this silliness is enough to tide you over for now! No cliffhanger this time, but next chapter things start to get serious. 
> 
> Again, thanks for all the lovely comments and kudos- you guys are the best! I'll seeya... when I seeya! -TS


	5. The Reveal

The next morning, Mona began an early inspection of the labs. As mentioned the previous evening, there was a good chance the minions had ruined something while she and her partner were gone, and Mona wanted to make sure she caught it before it got out of hand. She’d spent enough time avoiding responsibility last night…

Making her way slowly through each workstation, she found, to her surprise, that everything seemed to be in order. The minions kept carefully out of her way, watching nervously from the sidelines. Their duties the previous day had consisted of the ongoing tidying of the lab spaces, and though it seemed like a fairly simple task, even the cleverest minion tended to screw things up royally fairly often.  
The production lines were nearly completely organized and cleared up, now that they no longer needed a nigh-unending supply of bombs for Plague Knight’s adventures. Supplies were carefully stacked and boxed away, and from what she could tell, none of the minions had sustained any injuries in the process.  
Returning to the main chamber, Mona was readying herself to give a small, encouraging speech to her workforce; a little well-done for keeping everything in order without needing to be chaperoned. Then she noticed a quiet dripping sound. 

Turning around, Mona stared up at the enormous ghost behind her; the besheeted behemoth that was the Dynamo Decanter, now silent after its purpose had finally been fulfilled. The dripping was definitely coming from there.  
Banishing the tarps overtop of the various components, Mona hastened to examine the machine. Ah– the intake valve. Just below the preliminary flush chamber, the intake apparatus had been yanked apart, allowing a dirty liquid to seep out and roll down its surface. There was a puddle of the stuff growing in the bottom of her cauldron below.

“Assembly..!” Mona shouted at the top of her lungs, snapping her fingers.

A loud patter of nervous feet heralded the approach of her entire remaining staff. Soon surrounded by a gaggle of pink-beaked people in green robes, Mona narrowed her eyes and gazed over them, sternly.

“Alright. I’ll cut right to the chase. Who broke the intake valve?”

There was a long silence. Mona sighed and clapped a hand to her forehead, “It’s nine feet off the ground! Was somebody bomb-bursting in here?” 

After a few more moments of painful silence, minion seventy-eight raised a shaking hand. Mona zeroed in on him.

“I-I… I-I-I’m s-s-so s-sorry, ma’am!” he squeaked, trembling in his spot, “I d-d-d-didn’t mean t-to!”

“And what did you mean to do..?” asked Mona, raising an eyebrow.

“I was f-feeding Bertram, ma’am!” replied seventy-eight, “B-but he g-got out of his cage!”

Oh yes– Bertram. Plague Knight’s beloved runt of a ratsploder. When Plague Knight had given the Explodatorium to Percy, he’d moved many of his personal effects to the Potionarium, including his pet.

“H-he scampered off and crawled under the tarps, m-ma’am,” continued seventy-eight, “B-by the time I got in there, he’d c-crawled up onto the machine! I couldn’t figure out how to get up there any other way…”

He shuffled, worrying the hem of his padded apron, “B-but when I bursted up to get him, he ran away again, a-and I kind of slipped, and so I grabbed hold of the chain but my weight must have…”

He trailed off. Mona glanced up at the valve again and held back a snicker. It was kind of amusing to imagine the scene playing out, despite its consequences. 

“Did you know it was leaking?” she asked, turning back to him.

“I…”

There was a long silence. Mona tapped her foot, waiting. Seventy-eight gulped.

“I-I hoped… you wouldn’t notice,” he whispered, “Since you’re not using it anymore…”

Mona folded her arms.

“Initially, I was going to let you off with a warning,” she said, “But this is important. You should have told me that it broke. Preferably before I started the inspection, when I asked if anything went wrong. Do you know what kind of chemicals are contained in the Dynamo Decanter’s flush chambers?”

Seventy-eight shook his head, beak whirring back and forth in a pink blur.

“The nasty kind,” said Mona, flatly, “You’re lucky the stuff dripped into the cauldron. It’s reinforced to handle that kind of thing. If it had gotten on the floor, or the tarp, or you, however…”

She let the end of the sentence hang for effect before continuing, “…The point is, if you cause a problem, do not ignore it and hope it gets better on its own. Especially if it involves breaking other peoples’ property. It will only get worse, and eventually it might be too far gone to salvage. You wouldn’t want that… right?”

“I-I’m s…s…”

Mona sighed quietly, “I’m putting you on mop duty. Did you recapture Bertram?”

Seventy-eight nodded, and Mona was almost certain he was telling the truth. If he hadn’t been, she was sure her partner would have noticed his little friend’s disappearance by now and reacted. Explosively. 

“Good. I’ll keep this incident between me and… the rest of the staff,” she said, airily, “You seem remorseful enough, so I think telling Plague Knight would just be more trouble for everyone involved. I don’t want to have to develop a new cleaning liquid to get the you off the ground…” 

Mona waved her hand, dismissively “Alright..! Everyone else, good! Well done. You may return to your studies. Seventy-eight, here’s your mop…”

 

Mona spent the rest of the morning fixing the intake valve on the Dynamo Decanter. She took it slow, draining the chamber, carefully removing the apparatus, checking the damage, replacing the bent metal and cleaning up the spilled goo.   
She found herself leaning against the side of the Decanter’s main tank after a while, forehead resting against the greenish glass.   
She loved the giant of a machine. Being in its presence had something of a calming effect on her. She’d put so much love and care into building it, and it worked like a dream. She might even call her pride in it motherly… but she knew that this was probably rather different from having an actual child.

Slowly pulling away, Mona turned back to the intake valve to give it a last once-over. She’d managed to put it back in order, and it seemed to be stable, though she knew she could only know for sure if she tested it. Oh well. No time like the present…  
Letting herself down from the pulley-harness that allowed her to reach the higher parts of the machine, Mona dropped to the ground and began summoning supplies. The Decanter had to be fired up before it could work again. She’d kept it going constantly while Plague Knight was on his adventures, but afterwards she’d allowed it to sleep… Time to wake it again.

Seeing as the process was a bit of a job, Mona called a few of the minions to her and set to work. Her staff was rather ginger as they helped her fill the refining vat with minerals and start the silo fire. They were clearly all terrified of screwing up her beloved machine again, and Mona was rather pleased about it. Yes. They should be worried. Just so long as their worry didn’t trip them up while they were working.  
When at last everything was in place, Mona stood back and peered up at the humming Decanter, smirking to herself. 

“Alright, thanks. You’re free to go,” she said to her assistants, who scuttled off once more.

Mona took a few moments to do a final once over, then stood back and placed a hand on her chest. She could feel the faint throbbing of her heartbeat beneath her fingers, weaker than usual. Ever since her little blow-up the other day, her pulse had been strangely distant. She would probably be worried about it if she’d felt ill in any way, but she hadn’t noticed any change in her health. Just as she’d assured Plague Knight, it had been a mere fluke of her unstable magic… speaking of which.  
Mona curled her fingers slightly, gritting her teeth and tugging at an unseen force. Her chest began to buzz, the vibration growing more intense until a faint light began to glow beneath her fingers. Slowly, a sphere emerged, causing the jewel on her chest to spark with blue light.   
Once the shining ball was fully out, Mona held it at arms length, and watched as the shell fell away, revealing the spinning blue and purple orb beneath. 

“Alright, here goes…”

Mona summoned her lever and yanked it over, hard. The intake valve snapped open and its pull yanked her Essence out of her hand, drawing it hungrily up into the machine. With a puff of smoke, the orb began its circuitous route about the many pipes and chambers of the Dynamo Decanter, being cooked, electrocuted and doused in a whole host of diabolical chemicals. The final result was a serenely spinning sphere bobbing gently in the main tank.   
The Decanter was still working perfectly! Now to check for any possibly damage to the machinery, just in case.

After one final, very careful inspection, Mona was satisfied that everything was in order. The Dynamo Decanter was in fighting shape, and her Essence was perfectly docile.   
With a snap of her fingers, she conjured the sphere and pressed it back into her chest again. The sphere crackled brightly as it sank into her, causing her jewel to glow brightly once more.   
She was just about to summon the tarps back on top of the Decanter, when there was a loud explosion.

“BOOM! HEE HEE HEE!!!”

Mona barely flinched at her partner’s dramatic entrance, turning to find him trotting towards her, flames still licking at his heels.

“Mona!”

“Hi, Plague Knight. What’ve you been up to?”

“I could ask you the same thing! The Decanter’s uncovered– am I to be off on another quest, heehee?”

“No,” Mona chuckled quietly, “There was a bit of a… I was just polishing it.”

“Heh– You really do love that thing, don’t you? Careful, you!” he shook his finger at the Dynamo Decanter, “I shall be jealous!”

Mona snorted and rolled her eyes, “You’re certainly chipper today. Quit stalling and tell me what’s got you in such a good mood?”

Plague Knight giggled and spun his staff gleefully in one hand, the long thin stick producing a whirring noise as it became a dark blue blur. 

“Well, my dearest partner, I’ve been deep in thought about a particular problem that’s been plaguing us recently, and I believe I’ve found the answer, heeheehee!!”

Mona blinked.

“A problem? What problem?”

“Hee! You remember your little margin opus and its result?”

“Oh– You mean that weird cup?”

“Yes! I’ve figured out what we’re missing!”

Mona stiffened, excitedly, “Oh!”

Snapping her fingers impatiently, she conjured the object into her hands. She could feel the power pulsing from within, even more intensely this time. She held it out to Plague Knight, who shook his head.

“You hold onto it, heehee! Just follow me!”

“Huh?”

“We have to go somewhere!”

“Where?” 

“Oh… Around…”

“…Plague Knight.”

The little alchemist shuffled, “I-I want it to be a surprise! Won’t you just follow me, please, Mona?”

Mona sighed and tucked the large golden cup under her arm. 

“Alright. Lead on, Plaguey.”

With a burble of laughter, Plague Knight spun on his heels and scuttled onto one of the round wooden disks set into the floor, while Mona summoned her lever and gave it a yank. With a loud clattering, the Torque Lifts burst out of the ground, carrying the two alchemists upwards to the floors above. 

Plague Knight bid jolly hellos to the bar-goers in the tavern as he lead Mona outside and towards the hidden catapult in the woods. Once there, he took a moment to pore over the accompanying map, then set a particular pair of coordinates. Mona tried to peek over his shoulder as he did so, but he made sure to keep his preparations well-guarded.  
Eventually, the pair were sailing high over the land, heading towards a deep, dark forest. As they descended, Mona found herself recognizing her surroundings.

“…Hold on… This is…”

The lush, dark green trees, the slightly marshy ground, that soft but insistent thrum of something ancient and benevolent.

“…The Troupple Pond..! But… Oh! I’m such an idiot!”

Mona held out the cup, staring at the carvings. Of course– the apples, the waves, the pulse of familiar energy– how could she have missed it?  
Plague Knight let out a gleeful guffaw and beckoned her onwards.

“Hee! Come on, let’s see what happens when we hold this chalice aloft!”

Mona jogged after her partner, feeling a fluttering of excitement in her chest. When the pair arrived at the slimy old dock, they slowed down and stood at the edge, peering out at the pond beyond.  
It was a beautiful place, with softly rolling waters filled with waving grasses, gently cradled by the dark wood. The canopy above was so thick that little light was able to enter, but strings of round blue lanterns provided enough illumination to see by. The centre of the pool held a single apple tree, upon whose sturdy boughs hung the slumbering Troupple, waiting to be woken by a visitor. The ripples in the pond seemed to emanate from the base of the tree, or perhaps something beneath it…

“Uh… Do you want to do the honours?” asked Mona, quietly, holding out the chalice to her partner.

Plague Knight shook his head, “Hee– I think it had better be you. He’s not that fond of me. Besides, it’s your chalice!”

Mona nodded, “Alright.”

She stepped forwards and slowly raised the large golden goblet into the air. As its metallic sheen caught the light of the lanterns, a rumbling started beneath the pond’s surface, and a great, red shape rose steadily out of the water.

“Who has awakened Me?!” came the deep, booming voice of the emerging forest god, “Mortal? Dost thou– …Ah! Child! You’ve come again at last! It has been long since you visited this sacred grotto…”

Mona bowed deeply, and she heard Plague Knight splutter behind her. The Troupple King seemed to hear him as well, as he shifted slightly in the water and turned his glassy eyes upon him.

“…And it seems you’ve brought the Alchemist with you. What is the meaning of this?”

“Um, about that…” Mona tucked the chalice back under her arm and backed towards Plague Knight, “I know you know each other. But I suppose I… neglected to mention that we know each other.”

“What?” came the confused response from both fish-fruit and fellow alchemist. 

Mona winced. She knew she’d have to spill the beans at some point– she just thought she’d have more time to prepare.  
She’d met the Troupple King a long time ago. A very long time ago, in fact, when they’d first come to The Valley. She’d met him one night while she, her partner and the first minions had made the trek to the keep that would become the Explodatorium.   
Mona had sensed him in the water, and later met him in what she thought had been a dream… yet the apples he’d given her were there in the flesh the next morning.   
She still wasn’t completely certain what had happened until she’d met the acolyte in the Armour Outpost. After that, she’d made infrequent trips to the sacred pond to visit the strange forest god and receive his counsel. His advice was always rather cryptic, and he had an odd habit of always calling her ‘child’ despite her advancing age, but all in all she liked the Troupple King. He was kind to her, in his strange, lordly sort of way. Really the only royalty she could stand. And he shared her love of dancing… Going to visit him always calmed her in a way she couldn’t quite explain. He’d even been kind enough to bless her with his Phlegmatic Praise when they’d begun brewing the Serum Supernus.

When Plague Knight had started coming back to the lab smelling of ichor, Mona had meant to bring up her connection with the forest god. Unfortunately, she’d never quite got around to it… and now things were awkward. 

“…Well, no time like the present, huh?” she muttered, stepping in between the others, “Your majesty, Plague Knight is my scientific partner, and Plague Knight, the Troupple King is… …I know the Troupple King.” 

“So you’ve been in cahoots all along…” rumbled the Troupple King, pensively.

“Heehee! My liege! I-I thought we established that I’ve devoted my life to noble causes…” said Plague Knight, fidgeting nervously. 

“Verily!” cried the Troupple King, “For news of thy valorous actions has reached this Pond! I am most heartened to hear that thy beak has been pointed in the direction of heroism, plagued one.” 

Plague Knight giggled and tapped his fingers together, “Er, yes, heehee… A-anyway! Look! We’ve brought you a little gift, heeheehee!”

The Troupple King leaned forwards curiously, and Mona held up the chalice for him to see. The god’s eyes grew wide as he beheld the object, and he splashed the waters excitedly with his broad grey fins. 

“A Pandemonium Chalice?! Impossible! I thought they’d all been destroyed long ago… How did you come by this miraculous cup, My child?!” asked the Troupple King, seriously.

“…I made it,” Mona said, “Well– I dreamed up the recipe. But we made it. Plague Knight and I.”

The Troupple King’s brow knitted as she spoke, and his glassy gaze grew piercing. After a moment of inspecting her intently, a strange look of dawning realization crossed his smooth red face, and then an expression Mona couldn’t quite understand.

“…I see..! And it seems you have finally found your calling… Marvellous!”

Mona glanced down at Plague Knight next to her, who shrugged. 

“Now… The Chalice… allow Me to gaze into its swirling vortex, and hold still for a moment as I grant you new power..!”

Mona tilted the golden cup uncertainly, and the Troupple King’s eyes crossed slightly as he peered deeply into it. Mona felt it pulse in her hands, and saw the god’s stomach flex.  
With a loud gagging noise, the Troupple King spat up a gob of shining, rainbow-coloured liquid high into the air. As it arced, Mona instinctively dodged out of the way, and the stuff landed on Plague Knight instead with a loud splash.

“YUCK!” cried the little alchemist, flailing as the liquid seeped into his robes, soaking him to the bone.

“Hey! I missed!” cried the Troupple King, blinking in surprise. 

Mona winced and rushed back to her partner, “Oh gods– Plague Knight, sorry, I–“

She faltered a little as she felt a powerful wave of energy, and watched as her partner began to glow. Tiny sparks of light travelled through the threads of Plague Knight’s cloak and across the sheen of his mask, turning their hues to bright pink and blue, all accompanied by the intense aroma of apples.  
Plague Knight staggered, listing woozily on his feet.

“Hee… W-what… what is this..?”

Mona looked up at the Troupple King sharply.

“What kind of Ichor was that?”

“Pandemonium Ichor… the oldest of My blessings. It imparts a great power upon–“

The Troupple King was suddenly cut off by a soft sploosh from next to him. A Troupple had surfaced, flapping its fins against the water urgently.

“Your Majesty! Pardon my intrusion!” it squeaked in its high-pitched voice.

“What hast thou come for? Thou hast interrupted Me in the explanation of My gifts!” cried the Troupple King indignantly.

“A thousand apologies! But I bring urgent news– an acolyte has fallen into great peril and begs your aid!”

The Troupple King blinked in surprise, “Oh? What peril is this?”

“He is trapped in the Plains of Passage, sire! He is with companion– both are in grave danger and cannot move!”

“Hmm…” 

The god turned slowly to Plague Knight and Mona, eyes serious.

“Child. I would normally send another of My acolytes to deal with something like this, but the Plains of Passage are a traitorous path indeed. I know that you and your Alchemist are accustomed to dealing with such peril… Can I entrust My acolyte’s safety to you?”

“…Of course. We’ll see what we can do, your majesty.”

“Hee! You can count on us, my liege!” 

“Excellent! Many thanks. Now, only My subjects may travel along the secret paths of Our waters, but this one can show you where you must go…”

Mona turned to the Troupple in the water, who gagged and spat a single droplet of ichor directly at her. This time she didn’t dodge, though she did not enjoy the feeling of sticky liquid hitting her face. The moment it did, however, she saw in her mind’s eye a faint imprint of a grassy cave…

“We’ll be back soon,” said Mona, bowing, then put down the Pandemonium Chalice, took hold of her partner in both arms, and teleported away.

 

With a soft thud, the pair appeared promptly on solid ground and quickly got their bearings. As Mona had seen via Troupple-spit, they were in some deep part of the Plains of Passage. Letting go of Mona, Plague Knight quickly backed up into her, hissing.

“Hee! That was close!”

He pointed in front of them, and Mona noticed that she’d put them down perilously close to a huge pit of spikes. 

“Oh– Sorry.”

“Heehee! Just glad we didn’t land ON them!”

Spikes. A strange and inconvenient natural occurrence in The Valley. Manifesting as footlong, steel-like, needle-sharp protrusions, these spikes were one-hundred percent deadly to even the slightest touch. Adventurers were advised to steer clear of them completely, and if there were no other routes than over them, to tread very carefully. Few substances could defend against their lethality.

Plague Knight was about to say something else, when he started glowing again. His cloak began to flash with brilliant light, and a moment later, the blue and pink had changed to a rather displeasing green and cyan.

“Hee! Look at that! How peculiar!”

“Peculiar indeed… But I wouldn’t call it pandemonium.”

“Oh, it will be, when I’m wearing it, hee hee h–“

“Hey! Heeey! Up here!”

Mona and Plague Knight glanced up then, and caught sight of a pair of figures above the spikes. The two were trapped on an outcropping of rock in the cliff face above, pressed against the earth to prevent themselves from falling to their doom. It appeared they’d fallen from above, as a shaft of noonday sunlight was lighting the tops of their downturned heads and providing most of the illumination in the chamber. 

“Hee! Hello! You wouldn’t happen to be the acolyte in distress, would you?” called Plague Knight.

“Yes! Please help!” cried the acolyte, waving his arms, though not quite as jubilantly as usual. 

Mona recognized his voice from the keg room of the tavern– so this was the Village’s Troupple Acolyte. His companion, however, was inscrutable; not least because they were dressed in a heavy black cloak and hood. All that could be discerned about them was that they seemed to have a rather large head.

“Heehee! You just sit tight, and we’ll find a way to get you down from there!” Plague Knight reassured.

He turned to Mona.

“Heh, okay– looks like they really picked the absolute worst place to fall, heehee!” he pointed out the huge pit of spikes beneath them. At the far end, there was a deep pit with a faint, glittering aura drifting out of it. That must have been where the acolyte had contacted the Troupple.

“Could have been worse. There might not have been a ledge.” said Mona, flatly. 

“Hee! Fair point! Now, how to get them down..?” Plague Knight inspected the spike-pit, stroking the bottom of his mask, pensively, “Hmm… Reaching them would be step one, heehee… But I can tell it would take at least two bursts to carry me far enough– not to mention there’s no adequate landing spot! Blast… If they were on the ground, I could have used my Smoke Bomb Arcanum to take them across!”

Plague Knight’s Smoke Bomb Arcanum was an incredible invocation infused with the power of invincibility. So long as one stayed inside the fog it provided, they would be protected from any harm. Unfortunately, it didn’t last especially long… 

“It still might be useful,” said Mona, thoughtfully, “What if you used it on them?”

“Hee! Could work– but one’s safety hinges on how long one can stay in the cloud, and it generally moves in a vaguely horizontal direction. They might stick the landing, but their invincibility would run out just short of safe ground… unless they’re good sprinters, heeheehee!”

Alright. Not a perfect solution. But still, a useful component…

“What if we put some kind of barrier between them and the spikes?” she suggested.

“Hmm… That might work. But those things have a funny habit of destroying whatever touches them.” replied Plague Knight, ruefully.

It was true. There was an almost-certainly magical quality to how they punctured and tore apart anything laid on top of them. Even if they piled a bunch of junk on the spikes, it would probably be broken down before the pair could safely cross. 

“Oh! Unless you can summon snow from the Stranded Ship, heehee!”

“Huh?”

Plague Knight wiggled his fingers to mime snowing. 

“There’s a type of snow in Polar Knight’s abode that negates the power of the spikes, heehee! It floats up in the air, but falls if you manage to hop over it. When it hits, it covers the spikes completely! …Come to think of it, the Hoppicles that work there have armour that resist them too. …You know, for an old man that claims to hate wizards, his lair sure has a lot of magic in it…” 

Mona shook her head, “I’ve never seen the snow or the armour… I can’t summon any. And the snow would probably melt out here anyway…”

“Ahah… Good point.”

“Unless it’s also perma-frozen..?”

“That I don’t know. An experiment for another time! Best think of something else, heehee…”

Back to the drawing board.

“U-uhm– Not to rush you, but our perch is a little, er, crumbly!” came the trembling voice of the acolyte from above. 

As if to illustrate his point, there was a quiet crackling sound as a little earth dislodged beneath their feet and fell to the spikes below. 

“Heehee! Pipe down up there, we’re working!” called Plague Knight, agitatedly, as his cloak began to flash again.

“So, to recap, anything we put on the spikes will probably break down before they can safely cross…” said Mona.

“…You can’t summon any magic snow…” continued Plague Knight.

“…And your Smoke Bomb probably won’t last, either.” Mona finished. 

There was a long silence. Then the pair of alchemists looked at each other, sharply.

“Unless..!”

“…Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

“We’ve got two halves…”

“…Let’s make them a whole!! HEE HEE HEE!!”

 

The plan was stupidly simple, in theory. Combine a barrier object with the power of the Smoke Bomb Arcanum so that the spike pits couldn’t destroy it. However, there were a few intricacies involved… the length of the Smoke Bomb would have to be tampered with, or calculated for, and imbuing its power into a barrier object would take some tricky alchemagic in the first place. Luckily, the plan was in the hands of the two most talented alchemists in the land.

Mona summoned a stack of mattresses from the labs, plopping them down while Plague Knight carefully began tracing an alchemical circle in the dirt.

“Alright. So, the plan?”

“The plan– heehee! We make a gauntlet of invincible mattresses, then I run across and guide them back! Simple as pie!”

“Right. I’ll stay on standby in case anything goes wrong.”

“Weehee! Summon in some of Mole Knight’s slime, would you? We should make the mattress at the end decently springy so those two don’t break something!”

“Good idea.”

Mona snapped her fingers and conjured a vat of slime from the labs. Plague Knight promptly tore open one of the mattresses and began to replace some of the stuffing with the greenish goo. Mona, meanwhile, checked the alchemical circle. An infusion circle was mainly meant for simple combinations of elements and didn’t work on everything, but she’d coaxed it into working with magic before. To create Plague Knight’s staffs, for example.

“Oh, I like that one,” Mona commented as Plague Knight’s robes flickered as silver as freshly polished armour.

“Heehee! I’ll bet you do,” he snorted, “How’s the circle feeling? Think you can synch up with it?”

“Looks sturdy,” said Mona, “But I can never really tell until it’s time.”

Plague Knight carefully stepped out of the circle, having filled the mattress sufficiently. Once he was out, Mona summoned the rest of the mattresses on top of the first. They’d have to do them all at once, as Plague Knight’s Smoke Bomb Arcanum took a long time to recharge; doing them one by one would use up most of their working time and render them useless.

“Hee! Alright, I’m going to summon a Smoke Bomb into the circle! Are you ready?”

Mona took a deep breath and refined her focus. She usually only did this with her own magic, but she figured she could try it on the Arcanum. After all, Plague Knight’s staff was powered by her own magic– in a roundabout way, it came from her, too.

Plague Knight raised his staff and swung it through the air. He’d gotten really good with his Arcana over time– he didn’t even need to say the Old Old words out loud anymore.   
However, instead of a big cloud of grey smoke appearing, the wooden implement lit up with a bright purple light and yanked Plague Knight through the circle, sending him barrelling right through the mattresses and into Mona’s torso.

“Ack!!”

“Oof!!”

Mona staggered back and fell over on her backside, Plague Knight a tangled ball of flailing limbs in her lap. 

“HEE!! I said Smoke Bomb, you stick of kindling, not Staff of Surging!!” he cried as he righted himself, tugging his hood back into place and untangling his chains, “O-oh– Mona, I-I didn’t mean to–“

Mona shook her head, blinking. His beak had ploughed into her stomach and it was much harder than she’d expected, yet she didn’t feel winded or even out of breath. She sucked in a normal amount of air and placed a hand over her belly. 

“A-are you okay?”

“I’m… fine. Let’s try that again, okay? Try to get it right this time.”

Plague Knight scuttled dazedly back to the other side of the circle and cleared his throat. Mona rearranged the fallen mattresses. 

“Hee! A-alright! Now…” his robes began to flash again as he began to speak, “Heh– That’s really distracting! Ah… where was I… ahaha… Ah…”

He shook his head as his robes became bright yellow and brown. 

“It’s okay. Just take a moment to clear your head, banana man.”

Plague Knight spluttered a little before giggling nervously and getting a better grip on his staff.

“Hee– Alright!”

With another wide swing, he cast his second spell, once again trying to summon a Smoke Bomb. But to his clear dismay, a large crystal bottle of bubbly orange potion appeared instead. 

“Fleet Flask?! B-but I... But..!”

Mona’s eyes narrowed. She didn’t believe this was some kind of accident or mistake. She knew Plague Knight knew his stuff– he’d had to become an expert with his Arcana to survive defeating the Order of No Quarter. She’d seen him perform the spells flawlessly while they were joking around in the lab.   
Moreover, she was beginning to notice a little pattern emerging.

“Plague Knight, sit still a moment.”

Plague Knight, who was fretting, paused and looked up at her, then stood as still as he could manage. After a little while, his cloak flickered from yellow and brown to bright pink and indigo.

“Now!” Mona pointed, “Cast an Arcanum!”

Plague Knight dutifully swung his staff out, and, just as she’d expected, the result was different. Instead of the Fleet Flask, a large, fish-shaped explosive popped into existence and wiggled its way swiftly across the ground, bumping into Mona’s legs.  
Mona swiftly banished it before it could detonate.

“That’s it. That’s the power of the Pandemonium Cloak.”

“What– Messing up my Arcana?!” squawked Plague Knight, angrily, “Hee! What a great gift– Thanks, Troupple King!”

“I can tell you are being sarcastic!” called the acolyte, who Plague Knight and Mona had quite forgotten about, by now, “But the Pandemonium Ichor is a true and miraculous gift! Though it causes a great confusion of faculties, it also empowers the receiver with great vigour! Swords become sharper, crossbows aim truer– What weapon do you use, Bird Person?”

“Bombs!” said Plague Knight, indignantly.

“Then see! See what the Ichor has granted you!”

Plague Knight sighed and shook his sleeve, rolled a bomb into his hand and tossed it towards the spike pit.

“Hee! See? It’s just a regular, run of the mill––“

BOOM! CRACKACKACKACKACK!!

“…Black… Powder… bomb..?”

Plague Knight stared in shock as what was clearly a Cluster bomb exploded on contact with the spikes. 

“But…” whispered Plague Knight. 

“…There aren’t any left…” Mona finished. 

He’d exhausted their entire stock fighting the Enchantress. 

“You see? The power of my lord’s Ichor is truly divine!”

Plague Knight was silent for a moment, before bursting out laughing.

“Eeheehee!! Oh, what a treat! A challenge! Mona! How long do you think it’ll take me to master it? A month? A week? How about five days? Let’s place some bets, heeheehee!!”

Mona smirked. Talk about a turnabout. Now that Plague Knight saw his inconvenience as a toy, he was itching to play with it. But they still had a job to do…  
Mona snapped her fingers, and a new set of robes appeared out of thin air and flopped onto Plague Knight’s head.

“Go change,” she said, “As amusing as it would be to watch you mess around with that thing, it’s best we stay on track.”

Plague Knight sighed and collected his robes, “Hee! Right you are, right you are…”

He scuttled down the passage a little, finding someplace out of sight to change. While he was gone, Mona carefully cleaned up the circle a little, and looked up at the acolyte and his companion. They were standing very close to each other on the ledge– it seemed they were holding hands, as far as she could make out. They were probably scared half to death. This plan had to work.

When Plague Knight returned, now sporting a fresh set of robes, Mona banished his ichor-drenched ones and stood to attention, refocusing.

“Okay. Smoke Bomb, on three.”

“Hee! One… two…”

Three. A cloud of grey enveloped the circle. Mona shut her eyes and let herself feel its energy. It felt like a cool fog, but she could definitely feel her own, warm magic around the edges. She grasped at these, partly with her hands, and partly with her mind. She pulled the edges closer, cinching her magic up around the Arcanum like a bag of some sort, then feeding it into the mattress.   
When she opened her eyes, the pile had turned grey.

“Hee! I think it worked– test it out!”

Mona waved her hand, banishing one of the mattresses onto the spikes. After a beat, Mona and Plague Knight let out a simultaneous sigh of relief. It was in one piece, unclaimed by the infernal needles. 

“Alright! Here we go, heeheehee!”

With another wave of her hand, Mona banished the rest of the mattresses to the length of the spike pit, sending the springy one right under the ledge where the acolyte and his friend were trapped.

“Are you ready? Pluck up your courage and jump, heehee!” cried Plague Knight, waving up to them. 

The pair trembled fearfully, but nodded down at him. Plague Knight shot them a thumbs up, spinning his staff in his free fingers as he usually did when the thing was recharging. He usually liked to spin it until it was ready to use again, but this time he’d have to get going smartly before the Smoke Bomb’s effects ran out.

“Hee! On three! One… two… three!!”

With a yelp of terror, the pair on the ledge gave a jerky little hop and plummeted towards the mattress. They hit it and bounced, slightly, falling to their behinds and letting out more whimpers of fear.  
At the same time, Plague Knight leapt into the air, dropping a bomb beneath him just as he fell to earth so that he went soaring skyward with a loud BOOM. With one final flap of his sleeves, he landed with a bounce on the final mattress, grabbing onto the other two sharply to steady himself.

“Hee! Your escort awaits! Grab my sleeves and don’t let go!”

The pair did so, tremulously, and Plague Knight swung himself around and began to run. The acolytes stumbled after him, clutching tightly onto the fabric of his cloak.   
At first, it seemed like the plan would go off without a hitch; the greyish mattresses, though a narrow path, held the weight of their passengers, keeping a firm barrier between them and the enchanted spikes beneath. However, the longer Mona watched, the less grey the mattresses became. The Arcanum was wearing off, and their path was a long one. They weren’t going to make it. They’d miscalculated. 

“P–Plague..!”

Mona had to act fast– but do what? She didn’t know how to cast Arcana, and teleporting three at once would be dubious at best, and Plague Knight couldn’t burst with all of them, and he might not be able to cast another Smoke Bomb in time, and–  
But the Arcana ran on magic, didn’t they? The mere fact that the staff had to recharge between uses meant that the magic inside was a fuel, and that magic was her own. Could she– could she feed the spell? 

Hesitating no longer, Mona reached inside herself and tugged. Faster than ever before, a crackling orb emerged from her chest, and Mona drew back her hand and threw it at the approaching group. The blue shell broke away sharply, sending a volley of sparks into Mona’s face. The orb changed shape, becoming a bolt, and striking the fading mattresses with a loud buzz.   
At the moment of impact, there was a wild billow of smoke, which engulfed the approaching figures completely. A moment later, Mona nearly fell over again as a trio of forms crashed into her. 

“W-w-we’re safe!”

“Oh, thank the gods!”

“Heh! Mona! T-that was spectacular!!”

The smoke didn’t seem to want to clear, even when Mona waved her arms through it, so she grabbed blindly in front of her and staggered woozily back until she was outside the cloud.   
Plague Knight, the Troupple acolyte and his companion emerged after her, all looking a little wobbly. It took them about the same time to get their bearings as it did the haze to clear, and once it was gone, the carnage beyond was visible. The mattresses, now devoid of magic, were quickly sinking into the spikes, their canvas flesh torn and pierced by the hungry points.

“That. Was far too close for comfort,” gasped Mona, “…Let’s never do that again.” 

\- - -

Back at the Troupple Pond, everyone was beginning to calm down from their near-death experience. Though all four were still rather dishevelled, the Troupple acolyte began giving the fish-fruit king a grand recounting of the entire adventure. His flowery language and overly glowing descriptions of the two alchemists made them slightly uncomfortable, but they supposed being saved from certain death tended to make people a little loopy. Even more so when they started out loopy to begin with… 

“My deepest thanks for rescuing My young acolyte,” boomed the Troupple King at last, when the story was over, “This calls for a celebration!”

With a great splash, the buschool of troupple fell from their tree, and their king began to beat his fins against the water rhythmically. As he did so, a strange music began to fill the grotto from somewhere unseen, accompanying the leaping fruit-fish.  
The Troupple acolyte quickly bowed to his companion, who curtsied back and began to dance with him. 

“Heh– O-oh, look at that–” Plague Knight stared at the pair, his fingers drumming together frantically, “I-I suppose it’s time to dance, hee!”

Mona swayed calmly to the music, doing her best to ignore the spray from the pond hitting her face, “It’s the polite thing to do, yes…”

“O-of course! B-but… This isn’t a waltz,” fretted Plague Knight, “I don’t– heheh, I’m not really trained in any other feats of gyration! I, ah–” 

Mona chuckled and held out her hand, “Dancing isn’t always about learning steps. Sometimes… you just kind of… do it?”

“Uuhhh…”

Mona shrugged, gently, “Don’t worry– nobody’s going to laugh. ...Except me, maybe.”

She watched him fidget, pointing his beak back and forth hesitatingly as he plucked up his courage, before taking her hand. She continued to sway, but gently began to swing her arm as she did so, drawing her partner along with her. Plague Knight stumbled clumsily back and forth, trying to move along with her and the melody in the air.  
Seeing him waddle about made her appreciate his dedication to learning how to waltz even more. He wasn’t especially gainly to begin with– even when fighting his gait was scrambling and slapdash; only his bomb-bursts were especially graceful. To put such effort into figuring out how to move properly, beat by beat, even at the cost of his dignity, surely… And even without it, he was terribly adorable…  
Mona scowled, feeling warmth begin to creep up the back of her neck. Yet more feelings of affection were clashing painfully with her usual dower demeanour. 

“Uhh– am I doing it wrong, heehee?”

Mona broke out of her reverie and blinked down at Plague Knight, who was looking even twitchier than usual, hopping from one foot to the other in a vain attempt to dance.

“I– Huh?”

“You’re glaring at me…”

“Oh, I–“

But before she could try to explain, the music began to fade. Plague Knight made a final attempt at being graceful, then stopped and sagged with relief. The corners of Mona’s mouth twitched.

“Not bad.”

“Heh– Not great, either. I shall have to study up…”

“You really don’t have to…”

“What, and hold you back? Hee! Not a chance! It’s the least I can do!”

The least? The least…

“Haha! Nothing like a good groove to celebrate a heroic rescue!” cried the Troupple King, bobbing jubilantly in his pond as his subjects returned to their tree, “Now, go in peace, mortal, child…”

Mona bowed deeply, and Plague Knight followed suit. Picking up the Pandemonium Chalice and tucking it under her arm, she turned towards the mouth of the dock. Audiences with the Troupple King tended to end rather abruptly– it wasn’t rudeness, exactly… more that he was a god, and gods had their own way of doing things.

She was about to offer to teleport Plague Knight back to the labs, when there was a cheerful, feminine voice from behind them.

“E-excuse me!”

Mona turned to see the Troupple acolyte’s companion approaching her. The acolyte himself was standing by the king, watching them with a look of anticipation on his face. 

“A-are you returning to the Village?” asked the black-cloaked figure, hands clasped before her, hopefully.

“…Yes,” replied Mona, uncertainly.

“May I accompany you? I… there is something I wish to discuss with you!” 

Mona blinked.

“Uh…”

“Hee! We’ll see about that when we get back to the labs. We’re busy alchemists, you know!” Plague Knight cut in. 

“Oh! Of course!” replied the figure, nodding vigorously under her hood.

After a short, awkward silence, the trio departed the Troupple Pond and set off for The Village. The walk was a long one, and Mona would have liked to have spent it talking to her partner, but the presence of the mysterious figure made things rather uncomfortable.

By the time they made it back to the tavern, the sun was beginning to set, staining the sky orange and pink. Heading into the bar and towards her back room, Mona noted that the acolyte’s companion was still with them. Right… to talk. 

“Why don’t you head down,” Mona muttered to Plague Knight, “I’ll be there after I’ve had my little chat.”

Plague Knight nodded, giving the black-cloaked figure a suspicious glance, before hopping onto one of the Torque Lifts to be spun down to the labs. Once he was gone, Mona turned to her guest.

“…Um. So. You wanted to talk?” she asked, wondering if she should go sit at her desk or not.

“Yes!” the figure approached, reaching up to pull down the dark hood over her face.

Mona’s eyes widened in surprise. The first thing she saw was a large, heavy cap of green fabric with a glittering, diamond-shaped brooch pinned to its front. This explained why her head had looked so unnaturally large… Beneath that was a round, green face, framed by a mass of emerald green ringlets. A pair of bright black eyes peered up at Mona, accompanied by a wide smile. 

“I-It’s so great to meet you!” cried the girl, ecstatically, “I almost don’t know what to say! I mean– introductions, of course! My name’s Melissa… But everyone calls me Missy! I-I just have to say… i-it’s a real honour to meet you!”

“I uh… Oh. Charmed, Missy…” said Mona, still wondering if she could put her desk between herself and this beaming young woman.

It felt safer that way, somehow. She was getting a powerful vibe off this girl, and it wasn’t every day she met someone else with the same odd pigmentation as herself. It was a little disconcerting.

“Your name is Mona, right? I think I heard your disciple call you that, earlier!”

“My– my what?”

“The little guy in the bird mask? Mr. Plague Knight, I think? How long have you been set up in The Valley, by the way? If that’s not a rude question– I just, it must have been so hard, especially while The Enchantress was still in power! I’ve been gone a long time, but I heard She was only recently rent from the earth! I’m just shocked She didn’t try to destroy you, first! Or did you manage to keep out of Her sights?”

Mona shook her her head and held up a hand, interrupting the gush of confusing words, “Please, calm down. You’re not making any sense. What… what are you on about?”

Missy giggled nervously and scratched the back of her neck, ringlets bouncing as she moved, “Oh! Haha, sorry! I don’t mean to babble– I guess I’m just totally blown away! I’d almost given up hope of meeting another of my kind face to face, but then… there you were!”

Mona’s eyebrows knit, “What… Another of your kind? What are you talking about?”

Did she mean another person with green skin? Was there some kind of cultural significance Mona was missing? She had only recently become aware of her true appearance some years ago, after all…

“Well… Yes!” cried Missy, tilting her head up at Mona, “Er, maybe you can’t tell… but I’m an Enchantress, just like you!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, I'm back! And now we're finally into the proper story! The fluff is pretty much coming to an end now, unfortunately; I am sorry. However, a real plot is replacing it so that's cool! And Missy's here! Yay!   
> Once again, thanks so much for all your kudos and comments; they're really encouraging! I hope I can live up to all your praise, hehe. See you in the next one! -- T.S.


	6. The Visit

There was a resounding silence.

“…What?” said Mona, flatly.

“I’m not Fledged,” continued Missy, looking a little downcast, “But I swear I’m telling the truth! I’ve been scouring the lands, looking for someone to guide me… To show me how to reach my full potential! But we’re so rare… But now I’ve found you, and I beg you to consider taking me on as your apprentice! Show me everything you know!”

Missy bowed deeply and Mona stared, uncomprehendingly. Mona understood the girl’s words, yet the meaning seemed so inconceivable that she was having a hard time processing it.

“I… I really don’t know what you’re talking about,” Mona said, involuntarily taking a step back, “I’m… I’m an alchemist…”

“But I can’t be mistaken!” cried Missy, pointing at Mona’s chest, “You bear the telltale green skin, your amulet is in place– and your aura! It’s so powerful– just like Hers!”

“I-It’s a birth defect,” Mona countered, “My skin is green because I… I must have been sick, at some point, like Plague Knight…”

“Not that kind of skin,” said Missy, “That’s no sickly hue.”

“This is a family keepsake… I just wear it to hold my cape together..!”

“And your magical being, of course! There’s no setting on that jewel– there’s no way you’re just using it as a clasp.”

“I– I’ve always had a warm aura! My magic is warm to the touch– It’s normal!”

Only it wasn’t normal. Nobody else’s magic made them constantly feverish…  
Missy stared, eyebrows knit in dismay.

“I… Do you really not know..? What you are?”

Mona was silent for a few moments, before turning around and calling the Torque Lifts.

“Hey! Wait!”

As Mona spun down into the labs, she noticed Missy clinging to one of the other lifts beside her.

“Leave me alone,” said Mona, jumping off her lift as it reached the bottom and cranking her lever again to send the others back up.

Missy simply jumped off the rising platform after her before it got too high, hitting the ground heavily and scrambling to her feet.

“Wait! Please! I didn’t mean to offend you!”

Mona bustled away, heading for her room. She could hear Missy running after her, still calling out apologies. Mona hesitated, then paused, and began to take the steps needed to teleport away. Just as she was whirling through the air, she felt something catch ahold of her cape.  
Appearing in her room, she turned to see Missy stumbling, one fist still clutched into the fabric of her clothing.

“Go away!” shouted Mona, “You’re wrong! You’re wrong–“

“P-please calm down! I’m sorry–“

Missy held out her hands, and Mona noticed a faint green glow coming from the palms. As she watched, Mona felt a strange gust of air pass over her; it was soft and slightly damp, like an early spring breeze.  
The panic she had been feeling ebbed, suddenly, fading as the sweet aura settled around her. She would have been furious, but the magic was working. All she could do was scowl.

“That was a spell, wasn’t it,” she muttered, resentfully. 

“Kind of,” said Missy, rubbing the back of her neck again, sheepishly, “It wasn’t on purpose… It’s sort of a reflex. But are you feeling better..?”

“Mood altering magic…” Mona had only experienced this type of spell through some of the Magicist’s brews, “Hmph.”

She could create aromatic potions to steady the senses… but Mona had never seen a direct transfer of emotions like that. As annoyed and uncomfortable at being forced to calm down as she was, she supposed being lucid in a situation like this was for the best.

“…Alright. You claim I’m an Enchantress. But I thought… It’s been said they’re an extinct type of magic user.” 

Missy shook her head, perking up a little again now that Mona seemed willing to listen.

“Nope! Enchantresses are just super rare! And our powers are tricky to master… they say some Enchantresses go their whole lives without ever realizing the truth. I just thought you had, since you Fledged, and all…”

“Fledged?”

“It’s when an Enchantress unlocks their full potential! I know a little bit about it, but not everything…” Missy’s face fell, “I used to be apprenticed under The Enchantress, but She wasn’t exactly the best teacher… I was hoping you might be able to replace Her, but…”

Ah, yes. The recently departed Enchantress… So Mona was the same type of being as she had been? But then… but then what did that mean for her future? 

“…You have to tell me everything you know,” said Mona, eyes locking onto the young lady’s, “I need to know… I need a better handle on the situation.”

Missy nodded, holding her gaze for a moment before frowning thoughtfully, “Okay… But I don’t really know all that much. That’s why I’ve been on my quest– travelling The Land in search of knowledge of my kind! The Valley was once the greatest repository of information on Enchantresses, you see, but after The Enchantress moved in, She destroyed much of it, and hid the rest…”

“What? Why?”

“She wanted to be the ultimate,” said Missy, eyes downcast, “She didn’t want anyone opposing Her, least of all rivals with the same power… Sometimes I wonder why She didn’t just kill me when I came to Her…”

Mona frowned, “Right… but what DO you know?”

“Well… I know a little about Fledging, and how Enchantresses come to be!”

“Good, tell me that.”

Mona summoned a chair for Missy, as well as her desk down from the backroom. She sat down and readied her quill.

“Okay! So…” Missy tapped her chin thoughtfully, “Enchantresses… are beings of pure magic! Pieces of the aether that wanted to live a human existence… so they came down and hid inside human bodies, to grow up with thoughts and feelings and aspirations!”

Mona raised an eyebrow. What a whimsical description of a rather horrifying notion. She wondered where she’d learned that…

“It’s pretty rare, though. But not hard to spot! Anyone with green skin has a chance of being an Enchantress! …Unless they’re just sick. Anyway! The magic stays in the person, until it’s time to Fledge…”

“You mentioned fledging as an Enchantress attaining their full potential,” said Mona, scribbling feverishly, “What does that… mean, exactly?”

“Well, it’s kinda hard to explain… But you know when people cast magic, it’s usually for a reason?” replied Missy, tapping her cheek, “When it’s just floating around, it’s not as powerful as it is when it’s being called on for a specific purpose… So it’s kinda the same for Enchantresses. When an Enchantress finds something they love more than anything else, that becomes their purpose! They Fledge, and then everything they are revolves around it! Their lives, their magic… everything! And that way, they can unlock their true potential…”

“…I… see,” said Mona. 

Missy was right. Explaining the concept of Fledging was a rather difficult feat. Mona had a general sense of what she was trying to say, but she had a feeling the true meaning still eluded her.

“It’s not a very nice process, though,” said Missy, lip thrust out despondently, “From what I understand, it’s when the amulet comes into play… Apparently, an Enchantress will always find their amulet. It’s fate. And when they Fledge, their magic overwhelms their body. The amulet holds it together, ‘cause jewels are good at focusing magical power. But without their jewel, an Enchantress is liable to just… come apart!” 

Missy mimed a substance drifting away with her fingers.

“Overwhelm their body? How so?” asked Mona.

“Oh… well, like I said, now that the magic has a purpose, it gains its true power! It’s already kind of a strain on the body, being there in the first place, but Fledging is really intense… After that first surge, they… um, die.” 

Mona flinched, “What?”

“Just the body, though! The body dies! And the soul comes out, like normal… but instead of passing on, it goes inside an object, I guess? Apparently, an Enchantress’s soul is the only thing tethering them to earth… You can damage an Enchantress’s body as much as you like, or smash their amulet and scatter their magical essence to the four winds… but so long as their Soul Object remains fully intact, they cannot truly die.”

Mona stared, gripping her quill tightly.

“It’s sort of our biggest strength and our greatest weakness,” said Missy, “The Enchantress told me Her soul object was something so grand that it could never be destroyed. But I guess She was wrong…”

Mona was only half listening. She was distracted by the memory of pain, blinding, soul-rending pain that had enveloped her that evening just days ago. Missy was right. She had Fledged… But did that mean she was… she was…

“W-what else… What else do you know?” asked Mona, dipping her quill clumsily into her ink pot with trembling fingers.

“Uhh… Not that much,” Missy confessed, eyes downcast, “As I said, information on Enchantresses is few and far between. I have a journal full of notes but, I’m not sure what you want to know, and I’m not sure I can answer it. What I’ve told you is information I’ve gathered from many sources, so I know it to be true. Everything else is kinda hearsay, though… I’m sorry…”

Mona shook her head. 

“It’s… fine. I think… I need to think about this. You can… go.”

“Oh, but–“ Missy looked taken aback, “Please don’t send me away! Even if you don’t know much about being an Enchantress, you seem to know a lot of magic! Please… let me stay so I can learn from you, even by observation!”

“What? What magic?”

“Summoning, Teleportation, Casting! I saw you do all of that! Please, please teach me!!”

Mona’s eyes narrowed. She had no interest in teaching this child a subject she barely knew herself. Especially now… But there was a look in her eyes that told Mona she wouldn’t be leaving without a fight.

“I’ll… think about it,” lied Mona, quickly, “But you have to leave me alone for a while. Go up to the bar and ask if you can–”

“Oh, it’s okay! I have a place to stay!” said Missy, anticipating Mona’s advice, “Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you! I promise, you won’t regret taking me on if you say yes– I’ll be the best student ever! Seeya later, Moany!” 

Moany?!

Before Mona could complain about her nickname, Missy had rushed off. Mona sighed deeply.

“…The door’s over there,” she said, as Missy stalled at the walls of her room, looking about in dismay for an exit that didn’t appear to exist.

Mona snapped her fingers and the secret door opened, then stood up to follow Missy back down into the labs. She had to make sure the girl didn’t reveal her bedroom’s entrance to any nosy minions, as well as put her on the lifts.  
Once Missy was safely spiralling her way back upstairs, Mona stalked off to the deepest parts of the labs, head low and eyes narrowed. Unlike Missy, she couldn’t simply perk up at the slightest notice. She had just learned a horrible, life-changing fact about herself.

She was an Enchantress. And a fully-Fledged one, at that.   
Mona might have been more skeptical of Missy’s words, even though they seemed genuine, if there wasn’t something nagging at the back of her mind.   
It seemed mad that she could be some kind of powerful, eldritch being… Except that that would explain the enduring mysteries of her youth. The childhood she’d never quite understood…

When Mona had run away from the Academy of Alchemy, she’d left her old life behind. She’d renounced her title as lady, thrown off the shackles of her nobility, and gone to live as a commoner and alchemist with Plague Knight. And the longer she’d lived with him, the more she realized how awful that old life had been.  
She’d known discontent– she’d known frustration, and loneliness, and a deep, soul-piercing sadness that threatened to consume her… But it was so ever-present and pervasive that it had become normal. That was just how life was. Isolated. Cut off and strange. She deserved it, didn’t she? She deserved to be shunned.   
Even at the Academy, she’d carried her home life with her like a barrier, keeping out any attempts to change it. Until Plague Knight had blown the whole thing down with his bombs… After the kindness he’d shown her and the happiness she’d experienced outside those walls, she’d begun to realize what a cruel and unfair life her old one had really been.

She’d been so angry when she’d realized her mistreatment, because it all seemed so pointless. They had told her her birth had been cursed. Told her her magic was dangerous– that it would consume and kill her if she used too much of it. They had hidden her green skin behind a heavy glamour, and kept her at arms length. And for what? Why on earth had they hated her so much? Why had they treated her like some kind of shameful disappointment? A stain on their family tree? A machine only grudgingly maintained… They had no reason! No reason at all!  
When she’d broken the spell on her jewel, their actions had made no sense… but now? 

Now it was all falling into place. 

The creeping terror of The Enchantress’s take over was still fresh in hers and everybody else’s minds. The tales of the razing of the Lich Yard, the battle of the Armour Outpost. And the attack on the Explodatorium, of course. Plague Knight’s bleeding and broken body appearing unconscious before her and the terrified minions. The horrible acts he’d been forced to commit between the digits of The Enchantress’s iron fist. Their fates, thrust into the darkness, languishing in the shadows for fear of being discovered and annihilated…

No, gods… Could she be capable of that, too? Is that what her parents had warned her about from the beginning?

Finding a supply cupboard, Mona threw herself inside and sank down the wall, cradling her head in her hands. These answers… these answers she’d been wondering about all this time… Now that she’d found them, she wished she hadn’t. But she couldn’t just ignore it. She needed to make sure– absolutely sure. And there was only one place to do so.

Summoning a quill and paper, Mona began to write.

 

\- - -

 

The Mail Minion had always been a devoted servant to the cause. His zeal never wavered, even through the many years of uncertainty and danger that had befallen his employers. As usual, he did his job with aplomb, and it was a mere fortnight later that Mona received the letter back from her home.

“Impossible… How did you manage this?” Mona asked, taking the letter quickly so as not to allow the postman to catch a glimpse its contents, “It took me nearly two months to get here from… my old school, which wasn’t anywhere near there. And that was only one way!”

“I have my ways, mistress!” said the Mail Minion, smugly, puffing out his chest. 

He was always so proud of himself for a job well done. Mona would have given him a warm smirk, but she was in no mood to do so. The last two weeks had been an endless parade of anxieties. She’d had to pretend to be sick to keep away from Plague Knight and the minions, and busy to keep away from Missy, who told her that “Enchantresses can’t get sick, silly! Unless they’re possessing a living body, of course.”

“Thank you, you may go. I don’t want you to… catch what I’ve got,” she muttered.

The Mail Minion saluted and scuttled off, too distracted to realize a cold wouldn’t be able to get through his mask.   
Shelling the letter, Mona quickly began to read. From the signature at the bottom, it seemed her eldest sister, Rowina, had answered.

 

“Dear Madame

Perhaps you believe us fools? To call yourself Desdemona Mopes and attempt to gain entrance to our home– to even copy her handwriting! Our sister perished in a fire seven years ago. It is an insult to us to pretend such a thing. Do not contact us further, and I pray the gods find mercy in their hearts for the sort who attempts such a despicable ploy.

Contemptuously,  
Lady Rowina Mopes”

 

Mona blinked at the letter. Perished in a fire? Did they really believe that? Yet… she supposed there was no reason for them not to. When she and Plague Knight had burnt down the Academy of Alchemy, the student body had all escaped, along with their instructors. Only professor Ballard and the two young alchemists had remained inside when the blaze had been set, and Ballard had not emerged…

Mona could’t help but feel a small burble of guilt in her stomach. At the time, she hadn’t thought about letting her family know she had survived the fire. She’d thought they wouldn’t care either way… Yet her eldest sister’s words seemed to show that the incident had caused them great pain. And this leant yet more credence to the fact that her family hadn’t been treating her so cruelly after all… Oh gods.   
Mona closed her eyes and took in a deep breath -momentarily wondering how her deceased lungs still drew it- and put down the letter. Literally being dead to her family was going to be a bit of a hurdle to leap in getting the answers she wanted, but she refused to be discouraged. She needed to know. So perhaps, now was the time for an impromptu visit, whether it was welcomed or not.

Standing up, Mona left the supply room she’d been skulking around for the last week and bustled down the corridors, heading for the main lab.  
She would have to see about getting back to Humeheath. Perhaps she could ask the Mail Minion how he did it.  
Just as she was about to look around for the perky postman, Mona was interrupted by a familiar giggle. Flinching, Mona turned quickly to see her partner scuttling towards her, waving.

“Mona! Hee! Finally up and about, I see! Are you feeling better?”

Mona winced. She’d been doing her best to avoid her partner for the last while. The turmoil over her current predicament was nerve-wracking enough, but it also put their relationship in a new light. If all of this was true, if she really was an Enchantress, could she and Plague Knight even still..?

“Is something the matter?” Plague Knight cocked his head as he came to stand before her, “Heh– You look out of sorts…”

Mona quickly smoothed out her facial expression and regained her usual posture, “I’m fine… Just thinking about all the time I wasted being sick.”

“Hee! You really should have let me look at you! I know I’m not a licenced physician, exactly, heehee, but when have little slips of parchment ever meant anything to us?”

Mona repressed a wince. No. She couldn’t let him get that close. She wasn’t sure why he hadn’t noticed before -possibly because of the strange, ongoing pulsing her body seemed to be emitting now- but Mona no longer had a proper heartbeat. She doubted a health potion would even work on her, anymore. 

“It’s alright– I just didn’t want you to catch what I had.”

“Heh, Mona. I’m fully prepared to ward against infectious diseases. I work with them regularly,” replied Plague Knight, and Mona could hear the raised eyebrow in his tone of voice, “Really, heehee– something seems off… Are you sure you’re feeling alright?”

Mona pursed her lips, wishing his concern didn’t make her feel so guilty. His little displays of affection and care towards her usually made her heart flutter, but now that it had ceased to beat, it all felt strangely… wrong. 

“I’m fine,” she snapped, before composing herself, “Really, it’s okay. I just… I have to make a trip, actually.”

“A trip? Where?”

Mona paused, regretting her words. Oops. If she told him where she was going, he’d probably want to come with her, and she wasn’t sure if she wanted that. …Then again, his presence could actually be useful, she realized.   
If her sisters believed her dead and a fraud, it might be easier to convince them she was the genuine article if she brought her supposed killer along as well. As far as she knew, the people of Humeheath believed that the notorious bandit Plague Knight had set the fire at the Academy of Alchemy. If the two of them arrived together and explained… well, it was bound to lead to trouble. But possibly more convincing trouble than if she’d simply gone alone.

Alright. Might as well bring him along. Even as her guilt mounted, Mona couldn’t help but feel a sense of comfort. Going back to the place that had brought her so much misery would be a little hard to face alone. Not impossible– she could do it, of course, and would have to either way, but… his presence by her side would be reassuring…

“…Uh. Back… home,” she muttered, “…To Humeheath.”

Plague Knight’s beak shot up, “What? Back to Humeheath– HEE! What’s dragging you back to that dump?!”

“Well, I…” Mona cast around for an excuse, “I… Actually… I was going to ask if you would come. Because I… I wanted to introduce you to my family.”

The weight of unease was crushing by now, but Mona couldn’t take back her words.

“I– Y-you what?” Plague Knight looked back and forth in confusion, “Heh– Hee– W-whatever for? I always had the impression that you uuhhh… hated them..?”

Mona grimaced. 

“…Well, yes…” then she perked up a little, “Which is… exactly why I want to introduce you! You know my family are nobles. They’d flip their lids if they found out I was going with the most famous peasant bandit in the region.”

Plague Knight twiddled his fingers shyly, “Eehee..! I-I don’t know whether to take that as an insult or a complement.”

“Definitely a complement,” said Mona, seriously, and Plague Knight giggled bashfully. 

“Well! I can hardly refuse a little mayhem, HEE HEE HEE! When do we leave?”

“As soon as I can figure out how to get there quickly… The Mail Minion made it in two weeks, there and back.”

“What?! Impossible!”

“That’s what I said. I think we should go have a word with him…”

 

According to the Mail Minion, his miraculous journey had been achieved by taking paths privy only to those disciples of the post. He seemed quite adamant about keeping said paths a secret, no matter how many terrifying threats Plague Knight made against him. The Mail Minion seemed to know that he was too important to actually be harmed, and barely broke a sweat. As frustrating as it was, he did prove useful in another way– sending word to the Magicist, who was perfectly happy to make them a Star Map to their destination. 

With a few simple steps, Mona and Plague Knight found themselves moving from the main chamber of the Potionarium to the middle of a bustling street in a faraway village. The villagers jumped at the sudden appearance of two new people in their midst, and gaped in astonishment. Mona chose to ignore them. So long as nobody attacked them, there wasn’t any point in engaging the onlookers. 

“So, eheh, where is your old home?” asked Plague Knight, curiously, peering around at the unfamiliar surroundings.

“…This seems to be the closest village,” said Mona, “The manor house is some ways from here. Just let me… remember.” 

Going to and from home was not something that came quickly to Mona. She’d seldom been allowed outside the manor walls, and the last time she’d left the place directly was to be shuttled off to the Academy. Nevertheless, with her few memories from the past and the help of a few villagers, Mona and Plague Knight eventually reached an enormous mansion on the greens outside the village. 

It was an immaculately kept building, with towering turrets and vaulted windows. It was all composed of pale stone and reddish shingling, over which a substantial amount of ivy grew in carefully groomed patches. It was surrounded by small copses of trees and large, trimmed hedges, with a great marble fountain bearing a statue of the resident forest god standing out front.   
It was almost like a small castle… and looking up at the highest turret made Mona’s stomach lurch. Her old room. Her old prison.

Plague Knight seemed to notice her discomfort and drew a little closer.

“Heh– Are you feeling alright?”

“…Fine,” Mona muttered, when she really wanted to turn around and sprint in the other direction.

Having finally escaped this place long ago, it felt as if returning would trap her inside again. Yet she had to seek answers.   
Striding to the front door, Mona lifted her hand to the large, ornate knocker, and sounded several loud thuds against the wood. A few moments later, the door creaked open to reveal what appeared to be a servant peering suspiciously out at her. 

“We aren’t expecting anyone,” said the servant, frowning, “State your title and business.”

“I am Lady Desdemona Mopes, and I am here to see my family,” said Mona, flatly. 

The servant stared for a moment, then made to close the door on her. Mona sighed quietly and raised her left hand. With a crisp snap, the door disappeared from its hinges, revealing the shocked staff member on the other side. Mona calmly strode in, and Plague Knight followed, shaking with mirth.

“Y-you can’t do that!” cried the servant, “W-who are you?! I shall call the guards!”

“I said already,” said Mona, calmly, “And I wouldn’t do that if I were you. Unless staff has changed since I left, Mr. Wulfric is only good for show. My partner and I could outwit him in a second.” 

Quaking, the servant streaked off, into the household. Mona watched him go, glumly. 

“Who’s Mr. Wulfric?” asked Plague Knight, casually, taking in the front hall.

“Groundskeeper. Doubled as security. He’s huge and intimidating but he’s only really good at looking after begonias. He and his gardeners were fairly good at scaring off anyone who was stupid enough to cause trouble around here. Of course, the real danger was–“

Just interrupting her, in fact. With a sharp whoosh, a spell flew down the staircase ahead and hit Mona with full force, shoving her back down the carpeted floor.  
Struggling against it, Mona caught Plague Knight leaping towards the source of the alarm, already rolling a bomb into the palm of his hand.

“No! Don’t–“ Mona called to him as she tried to think of a way around the spell, “Just get out of the way!”

Plague Knight seemed to hear her, and fell back, but he remained on his toes, bomb still clutched tightly in his fingers.

“How dare you!” came a voice from the stairs, “What ill-mannered brute dares to intrude on our home in such a way?!”

A woman in a dark brown gown was approaching them, her hand outstretched, her eyes alight with fury. Another woman dressed in black was following close behind her, her own hands at the ready in case more than one spell was needed. Mona’s stomach lurched again at the sight of them.

“And you– do you mean to attack me?!” called the woman in brown, to Plague Knight, “Go with your cohort and never darken our–“

“…Dessie!!!”

The woman in brown’s words were cut off by a shriek from the woman in black, who broke away and charged down the stairs, heading straight for Mona. Before anyone could do a thing, the spell pushing her back was broken, and the woman in black had thrown herself into Mona’s arms, weeping.

“Oh, Dessie! It’s you– It’s really you!!”

“What– Felicity, what are you–“ cried the woman in brown, clearly shocked at the sudden cancelation of her magic. 

But the woman in black -Felicity- was turning around already, wiping her eyes on her midnight sleeve, “It’s Dessie! It’s really her! Can’t you tell? I’d know her face anywhere!”

The woman in brown dropped her arm and stared, face going pale.

“…By the gods…”

A long silence followed, as everyone stared at each other. Then Plague Knight broke it, of course, by laughing.

“Hee! Talk about awkward family reunions!”

\- - -

Minutes later, four plush seats were occupied in the opulent manor drawing room, and the servants had been instructed to make a large batch of very strong tea.

Mona’s old home was already seeping back into her bones; she was sitting straight in her chair, with her hands folded primly in her lap and her knees pressed together. Plague Knight was sitting next to her, fidgeting and swinging his legs. Mona’s two sisters, Rowina and Felicity, were sitting across from them, both a little lost for words.

It was so strange to see them again. It had been nearly ten years since Mona had last glimpsed her two older siblings. They looked much the same as they had all those years ago, though. The older Mopes children were both dwarfed by Mona’s towering height, and both had narrower, more delicate faces, with finer features and closer set eyes. Rowina had inherited their father’s hawk nose, and her countenance had a rather stern cast because of it. Her jet black hair was done up and prudently hidden behind a headdress, signifying her marital status. Felicity, on the other hand, resembled Mona more closely, but with cuter, spritelier features, and bright pink cheeks. Mona often wondered if they’d looked at themselves in the mirror one day and decided they’d base their personalities on what they saw. 

At the moment, though, their faces were ashen and their eyes over-bright.

“I can’t believe…” murmured Rowina, softly.

“…it’s really you..!” finished Felicity, clasping her hands beneath her chin, “Oh, Dessie..! What happened to you..?”

Mona stiffened uncomfortably.

“…Nothing, really,” she muttered, unable to look them in the eyes, “I… I ran away. When the fire started. I’m sorry I never wrote back to–“

“I should hope you’re sorry!” interrupted Felicity, “We were devastated! Weren’t we, Rowe? I cried for weeks! You should be ashamed of yourself, Desdemona!”

Mona pursed her lips and sank a little lower in her chair. A nasty voice in the back of her mind muttered, ‘Like you really cared. You were all glad to be rid of me.’  
Mona had seldom seen her sisters as a child, but they had gotten along when they were allowed to meet. They’d romped together in the gardens, and played duets on the piano. They’d been friendly and cordial to her, being the only ones willing to embrace her. But just like everyone else, they’d never really understood her. Despite being her closest friends, Mona had a hard time believing that her sisters really, truly cared for her…

“And your face! What on earth’s happened to your skin?” cried Felicity, wringing her hands, “You’ve gone all–“

“Hush, Felicity,” snapped Rowina, disapprovingly, “It isn’t polite to comment on such things.” 

Felicity pouted, but didn’t pursue the topic any further. Mona, however, was more interested in the flash of warning in Rowina’s eyes. Thinking quickly, she smoothed her dress and spoke up.

“…I apologize again, sincerely. I had never meant to cause you so much woe. The truth is, I was very much distracted at the time. Because… Well, that’s why I came to visit you, in fact. I, er… are mother and father here?”

It was a little perplexing– Mona had been surprised that her letter to the house had been answered by her eldest sister and not her father, and now it seemed neither of her parents were around.

“No,” said Rowina, “They’ve gone on an expedition for the king.”

“Then why are you here?” said Mona, frowning.

“Rowe’s recovering,” said Felicity, before Rowina could speak, “She’s just had her fifth baby, you see! He was so big and fat, she had to–“

“Thank you, Felicity,” said Rowina, silencing her sister once again, “…Yes, I am recovering from a difficult birth. The air here is better for the humours… I’m nearly well enough to return home.”

“I’ve been caring for her,” said Felicity, nodding solicitously, “I don’t trust any of the staff to do it. The town doctor’s changed, and the new one’s a quack! And besides, I needed something to occupy myself with since Frederick…” 

Her expression turned pained and she went silent of her own accord, clutching the ends of her black sleeves. Mona felt her heart sink. Ah. So that’s what the black was all about. She was in mourning… Good gods. Marriages, births and deaths… so much had happened while she was gone. It felt so strange, to remember that their lives were running parallel to hers, jumping their own hurdles and facing their own woes.

“B-but you were saying something about why you’ve come after all this time?” resumed Felicity, “Why do you need mother and father?”

“…Well… I’m… engaged,” said Mona, suddenly, causing Plague Knight to flinch, sharply, “To. Him.”

Both older siblings looked over at Plague Knight, as if really seeing him for the first time. He waved back, lightly.

“…Oh! My goodness– congratulations, Dessie!” cried Felicity, looking tearful again, “That’s wonderful! I never thought you’d find someone! But I’m so glad you have– remember when father betrothed you to the king’s youngest son?! Oh, you wouldn’t believe the scandal, Dessie, he’s every bit a philanderer as he was ten years ago!! Just last year, he–“

“A physician?” interrupted Rowina, frowning at Plague Knight’s beak, “Desdemona, I hope you understand that mother and father will not be pleased when they find out. They’ll hardly approve of you marrying a commoner.”

Strange… It seemed neither of them recognized Plague Knight as himself. Then again, his activity had stopped ten years ago, and he was rather more well dressed than he had been… Besides, Mona realized her sisters had probably never seen him in the flesh before. There were no records of him attacking the Mopes Manor, after all…

“That’s fine with me,” said Mona, calmly, putting the slight disappointment at their lack of recognition out of her head, “I’ve made my choice, and I’m happy with it.”

“Ooh, how romantic!” cried Felicity, clasping her hands again, “How did you meet? Oh! I know– You fell terribly ill after the fire, and he nursed you back to health!”

Mona smirked, faintly. She supposed, in a way, it was sort of true… metaphorically.   
A servant arrived, then, with a large tea set and four ornate cups. Mona didn’t particularly want any tea, and she had far more pressing matters to discuss than her and Plague Knight’s first encounter.

“Why don’t you tell her,” said Mona, glancing at her partner, “I’ll be back in a moment.”

Plague Knight nodded and cleared his throat.

“Hee! Ahah– Where to start? Well…”

Mona quickly stood up and made eye-contact with her eldest sister. To her relief, Rowina seemed to understand her silent signal and stood up as well, following her out of the drawing room with a hasty excuse. Once out in the hall, Mona steeled herself.

“I really need to get in touch with mother and father. Is there any way to contact them?”

“They’ve embarked on an ocean voyage. There’s no way of sending them any message until they reach port. But why must you contact them so urgently? …I highly doubt it’s because you’re marrying.”

Mona pursed her lips. Rowina had always been shrewd. 

“Fine. It’s not about that,” Mona admitted, “It’s… there’s something I need to know. Something I think only they can answer.”

“Hmm. It wouldn’t happen to have anything to do with your glamour having failed, would it?”

Mona stiffened. So Rowina knew about the glamour? 

“…Yes. …What do you know?”

Rowina’s expression sagged, a deep weariness settling into her austere features.

“…Much, unfortunately. I suppose there is nothing I can do… so I will attempt to give you the answers you seek. Follow me.”

Mona nodded silently and fell into step beside her sister. Rowina lead her through the halls, past ornate oak doors and filigreed side-tables, old oil-portraits and tall windows that didn’t seem to let in enough light. Eventually, Rowina lead her down a flight of steps to the basement. The kitchen and some of the servant quarters were down here. Mona found herself getting a little turned around as they moved, and she lost track of exactly how many twists and turns they had taken. She remembered exploring the basement in secret as a child, yet something about the way they were traversing it now seemed… different. Finally, Rowina took a sharp turn towards what appeared to be a dead-end corridor. Once at the end, she raised her hand and waved it over the bricks, muttering something in the Old Old language.

The bricks softly rearranged themselves, forming a doorway into a dark, forbidding chamber. Mona followed Rowina inside, and the bricks returned to their places behind her. As soon as they were in place, two chandeliers lit up on the ceiling, bathing the room in orange light. 

They appeared to be in… a library? The walls were comprised almost completely of bookshelves packed with various tomes. A writing desk was set into the wall on the left, complete with several volumes, a quill and pot of ink, and a faint buzz of magic hung in the air. At the very back of the room, a huge tapestry adorned the far wall, nearly taking up the entire thing. It depicted an intricate bouquet of flowers. 

“What is this place..?” murmured Mona. 

“The mage’s study,” said Rowina, folding her arms, “This is where all eligible Mopes’ are taken to be trained in the magical arts… My classroom, for many years.”

Mona sagged, a little. Of course she hadn’t known this was here. She hadn’t been allowed to study magic.

“How much do you know?” asked Rowina, solemnly. 

She was looking back at Mona now, her eyes boring into hers. Mona stared back, defiantly.

“Not much. But I know that my whole childhood was a lie. This…” Mona pressed her fingers to the jewel at her throat, “This thing made me look… normal. Made it hurt when I used magic. Fooled me into thinking all their stories were true. But…”

Mona swallowed, thickly, “…But maybe… some of it was true. In a way. And that… that’s what I want to know. I want to know… exactly what they meant when they said I’d been cursed from birth.”

Rowina stared at her for a few more moments, before turning away again.

“…You know our family history. Even if you weren’t allowed to participate in it.”

“Yeah… the famous Mopes magic-users. Favourites of the king for generations,” Mona muttered, glumly. 

“Indeed. We’ve served the monarchs of Humeheath for centuries. We’ve played just about every role they could require. But it all started with one man. Leofric Mopes. The first Mopes, who’s family served the first king of Humeheath. Listen closely, Desdemona. This is a story only a fully initiated Mopes is to be told. I am making an exception for you… so pay attention.” 

Raising her hand to the tapestry on the far wall, Rowina waved gently, causing the myriad of threads to unstitch themselves and form into something new. As Mona approached to watch in awe, a story picked itself out in woven images. 

“Leofric was an incredibly gifted sorcerer. His feats of magic were unrivalled at the time by anyone in The Land… except for one person.”

A figure emerged from the warp and weft, with a small title beneath him, displaying the oldest Mopes’ name. He appeared to be causing harvests to flourish with a wave of colourful magic from the tips of his fingers. 

“Only his teacher exceeded him in magical power, though she was seldom seen or heard from. She locked herself away in an ancient tower, from which no visitors seemed to leave. She remained there always, deep in study of the magical arts… Leofric was her favourite. Her most loyal and trusted acolyte, her most devout student… Only he was able to come and go from her tower with ease. Some even say they were lovers…”

Rowina gave a soft harrumph, nose wrinkled at the last sentence, as if she disapproved of the rumour. Mona continued to watch as the tapestry revealed a woman who’s face was obscured by a tall, veiled hennin.

“…In any case. Leofric used his magic to do many a kindness for the people of his land, and taught his family to follow in his footsteps. The Mopes family were soon the most gifted magic-users in the kingdom, and they worked tirelessly to bring peace and prosperity. …Unfortunately, all was soon to change.”

A greyness began to weave itself into the tapestry. It was only when Mona began to see the tips of flames that she realized it was smoke. 

“Leofric’s teacher, who had spent so long in seclusion, finally emerged from her tower to reveal her true intentions. It seemed she desired nothing less than absolute power, and sent droves of her disciples to conquer the kingdom by force as she rained fire down from above. The land descended into chaos…”

The whole scene was almost visible now; a town in disarray, buildings burning to the ground and warriors riding forth to battle foes that greatly outnumbered them. Above, a dark figure loomed ominously, glowing with pinkish magic.

“Leofric realized his folly. It seemed he’d known all along what she had planned, but had never had the heart to stop her until it was too late. Still, he swore to atone for his sin. He rode to meet her, and engaged her in a terrible battle. In the end, he was unable to destroy her, but he managed to seal her deep within her tower so that she could never harm another soul.”

Mona felt a boiling sensation in the pit of her stomach. The figure of the villainous teacher was finally in full view, standing across from her valiant ancestor. The black robe. The sharp, spiralling headdress. The green skin, like a spray of vitriol…

“Incredibly weakened by this final struggle, Leofric returned to his family gravely ill. The dregs of the destroyed kingdom left that cursed land and built their home anew where Humeheath now stands. Leofric was not well enough to make the journey… He lived only long enough to impart his final wisdom upon his family. He made each member swear not to repeat his failures. Made them swear to protect their people from all threats, but chiefest of all the green demon that nearly destroyed them.”

The tapestry was still unfurling, but Mona had stopped paying attention now. She couldn’t look away from the horribly familiar figure in black.

“…From then on, the Mopes served the monarchs of Humeheath with their magic. And though Leofric’s final words did not survive the ages completely, his message still remains in our hearts. And that… that is where your story began, I suppose.” 

Rowina turned back to Mona, who remained still. 

“…My curse. I’m like she was, aren’t I,” Mona finally managed to say, very quietly.

Rowina looked away.

“…It would seem so… Yes. Though we know little of what truly happened all those years ago, the birth of a child with green skin is never a good sign. Especially in our family.”

Mona’s lips trembled.

“Why didn’t they just… W-why didn’t they just kill me? Why keep me alive, if I was like her?!”

Rowina glared, sharply, “Desdemona! Do not speak in such a way!”

“But it’s true, isn’t it?” replied Mona, heatedly, “The whole point of our family is to protect Humeheath and destroy freaks like me– so why didn’t they just snuff me out before I could become a threat?”

Rowina’s furious expression crumpled. Mona scowled back. It felt like some kind of sick joke. She honestly couldn’t see any advantage to keeping her alive. Keeping her alive, only for her to sometimes wish she wasn’t.

“…Pride, I believe,” Rowina murmured, at length, “They spoke of your upbringing occasionally in my presence. They believed, I think, that they could… fix you. Or at least keep you from fulfilling your cruel destiny. They were mortified, at least, that a member of our family could be kin to that creature, and they were determined to flout destiny. I’m not sure what they truly thought… I wasn’t allowed to question them. But their methods…” 

Rowina turned away again, “I was the only child entrusted with the secret of your amulet. They told me about it when they told me the story I just told you. Felicity never learned; you had gone by the time she was ready to know our deepest secrets. Only I knew the reason they kept you in that tower room; only I knew why you were held at arms length by everyone in this manor.”

Mona looked down at her feet, hugging herself. Being here, in her home, brought back the past… after all that time away, and all the contrast she’d learned, the memories seemed more painful than ever.

“…I saw the effect it had on you, and how you resisted it… When you took an interest in alchemy I begged them to let you go to the Academy. It might give you some much needed air; might save you– alchemy and magic are such opposing forces, we all agreed that going down that road might rid you of your powers for good. But it was all I could do for you… and when the Academy burnt down, I… I…”

Mona felt horror bubble up in her chest as she heard her sisters voice crack. Rowina turned to her shakily, and there were indeed tears in her eyes.

“Oh… Desdemona… I’m so sorry..!” she pressed a hand over her pale lips, “I couldn’t save you..!”

Mona felt her temperature rise. She was terrible at experiencing such emotions herself, but seeing others break down? It was unbearable. Even worse, for the first time, Mona believed that they had cared. Rowina, and perhaps Felicity, at least. All her life, she’d thought that nobody in the manor had loved her… and now her sister was weeping openly in regret for being unable to save her from the life she’d been subjected to…. the life she was destined to lead.

It was difficult to believe, difficult to reconcile. But Rowina’s tears seemed truly genuine. Mona shook her head. She’d always imagined going home and shouting down her family, tearing them apart for what they’d done to her. But now it was all gone. Now she simply felt empty inside.

“It… wasn’t your fault,” Mona muttered, softly, “I… Thank you. For telling me. I think I understand, now. I… need to go.”

Rowina seemed about to protest, but she quickly swallowed and nodded. She turned to the tapestry and returned it to its previous floral pattern, then lead Mona back out of the study, up into the main manor.

 

Above, Plague Knight and Felicity seemed to be getting on quite well. When the sisters reentered the drawing room, Plague Knight was standing on his chair, gesticulating. Felicity was staring, wide-eyed, totally enthralled by his story. 

“Hee! And then, just when I thought all was lost, Mona appeared right in front of me, blotting out the eyes like some solar eclipse! And she flung out her hand and shouted GO AWAY! And then… well, heehee! I’m not really sure what happened, exactly, but when I woke up, the beast was vanquished!”

“Good gods! But you must have been scared to death!” cried Felicity.

“Hee! Only for Mona. She was in a bad way after that. But, well–“ he caught sight of Mona and Rowina in the doorway, “–All’s well that ends well! Heehee! Ahh, hello, my dear! Is everything… alright?”

Mona thought she’d put on her usual poker-face, but perhaps Plague Knight could feel the heat coming off her. 

“Everything’s fine. We should be getting back,” she said, her voice clipped. 

Plague Knight quickly hopped down from the chair and scuttled over to her. Felicity stood up, looking dismayed.

“But– you’ve only just arrived!”

“Yes, well, it was a lovely visit,” Mona said, flatly, “But we really have to return… home. Lots of things to keep up with. It was… wonderful to see you. I’m… sorry for your loss.”

“But Dessie– Dessie!”

Mona was striding away, Plague Knight by her side. She had nearly made it down the corridor when an invisible wall stopped her in her tracks. 

“Felicity–“ she heard Rowina snap from behind them.

“Dessie! You can’t go! Not… not when we’ve just got you back..!”

Mona felt flames lick up the insides of her throat. To her great relief, she heard Rowina murmur an explanation to her sister. Mona couldn’t hear exactly what she was saying, but she hoped it was a good excuse.  
A few moments later, there was a loud thudding of footsteps, and Mona felt her sisters arms encircle her waist.

“…Take care, Dessie,” Felicity whispered, into her back, “…And please, write to us for the wedding..!”

Mona nodded, stiffly.

“…Of course,” she lied, “Take care, Fliss.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey folks! Here comes the plot! And the... angst. And a lot of head canons. You also won't be seeing much of Plague Knight after this until chapter 12, so I apologize in advance. I promise it won't be a slog, though! So, until next time! And thanks again for your support <3 --TS


	7. The Plan

Mona was quiet and withdrawn for the next few days, shutting out anybody who tried to speak with her. She remained inside her room, mulling over what she had learned from her eldest sister.

She was an Enchantress. No ifs, ands or buts about it. Her parents had known it from the moment she was born, even if they didn’t know how to deal with it, and all the misery she’d lived through was all… all justified, after all.  
No, it wasn’t a kind method of suppressing her powers, but what else could they do? As Missy had said, there was little information left on Enchantresses. Rowina hadn’t even called them by name… yet Mona knew. She knew undeniably who the dark figure in the tapestry was, and what her presence meant for her future. 

Even through her panicked, spiralling thoughts, only one seemed to remain true and certain; it was only a matter of time until she went mad. Only a matter of time until her magic corrupted her into a being like The Enchantress. There could be no other conclusion, could there? Why else would they have tried to suppress her magic– tell her that it would consume her? Because they knew. They knew what would happen if she was allowed to grow too powerful. Her parents had been rightfully terrified of her. And the more she thought about it, the more she picked out certain disquieting behaviours. Her misanthropy, her intense hunger for knowledge, her difficulty expressing emotions, her amusement at the misfortune of those she cared little about… These would only grow, twisting and darkening until she was a monster, incapable of anything but cruelty and control. 

She couldn’t let that happen. For the little time left that she had care in her heart and a conscience in her head, she needed to find a way to stop her transformation before it was too late. And to do that, she needed to know more about Enchantresses.

After days of seclusion, Mona finally rose from her bed. She had found that she didn’t need to eat, nor sleep, nor even breathe, now. She was already past the threshold of humanity. Thinking about it only made her even more nervous, so she put it out of her head as often as possible. Now, more than ever, she needed to concentrate while she still had time. 

Exiting her room, she teleported up into the bar above. She didn’t want to use the Lifts, for fear of alerting Plague Knight. She was sure he’d be worrying about her. The poor fool… what a terrible choice he’d made. It seemed that shining future they had once looked forward to was growing darker and darker… Could they even reach it together, now? …Gods. It was too excruciating to think about, and she really did need to focus on the task at hand. So once again, she put it out of her head and approached the barmaid.

“Excuse me,” Mona said to Lisa, who was standing at the counter, polishing a glass as usual, “There’s a patron I’d like to find. A young woman with green skin and curly hair? Would you happen to know where she is? I’m sure she’s been in this bar, before.”

Lisa put down her glass and frowned, thoughtfully, “Oh yes, I remember her. Sweet thing. She’s been asking after you, actually. Where she is, though, I can’t say… But I have seen her chatting with the acolyte in the keg room often; he might know where she is.”

“Thanks, Lisa,” said Mona, before turning towards the aforementioned chamber.

The keg room was sort of the opposite of her own back room. It was bright, and warm, and had a welcoming air to it. Chester, the Troupple acolyte, and the resident pungeon-master Croaker were all regulars there, making it a popular room for visitors. That, and it was where the juice kegs were stored. 

Sure enough, when Mona entered, the acolyte was performing his usual flappy dance in an attempt to attract buyers to his righteous cause. Mona took a moment to observe him… she’d seen him often in the bar, and spoken to him a few times. Because of her connection to the Troupple King, he seemed to know her well enough… yet she actually knew very little about him. She wasn’t even sure if he had a name…

“Hey…” she said, as she approached him, waving slightly.

The acolyte turned towards her, dropping his arms and digging quickly into his cloak to produce a chalice, until he recognized who it was.

“Oh! Hello, Green Child! All hail the Troupple King!”

Mona suppressed a small smirk and bowed, “Hail! Long may His Stem grow.”

The acolyte smiled, “Thank you for saving me, the other day! Is there something I can do for you? Do you need a new chalice?”

Mona shook her head, “Don’t mention it. …You wouldn’t happen to know where, er, Missy is, would you? I believe you two are… close.”

The acolyte nodded enthusiastically, “Oh, yes! Missy stays with My Lord! Travel to the sacred pond, and you will find her! Unless she is visiting this tavern; then she will be here!”

“Thanks,” said Mona, nodding, “I’ll go check.”

She turned around and heard the acolyte start up his dance again. With a few quick steps, Mona disappeared in a flash of blue.

 

Reappearing outside the Troupple’s forest, Mona made her way quickly into the lush green depths of the grotto, summoning her old chalice into her hands, just in case. As she entered, however, it became apparent that she didn’t need it; the Troupple King was already rising out of the water to greet her.

“Child. You arrive with great urgency! What business dost thou have here?”

Mona bowed low to the forest god, then looked up at his shiny red countenance. 

“Your majesty, I’m here in search of a friend of Your acolyte’s. A young woman by the name of Missy. I need to speak with her.”

The Troupple King considered her for a few moments, his great, bulbous blue eyes unblinking. Then he splashed his fins in the water, causing a Troupple to fall from the tree above. The Troupple sank quickly beneath the waves, and when it reemerged, it was carrying Missy on its back. Oddly, she didn’t seem to be wet at all from her time under the water… if she’d been underwater at all. The pathways open to Troupples were born of a mysterious and unknowable kind of magic. The kind reserved for gods…

Stepping onto the dock, Missy looked up excitedly at Mona.

“Oh! Moany! You’re here! I’m so glad to see you! Have you been well?”

Mona repressed a grimace and bowed to the Troupple King again.

“Thank you, Your majesty.”

“Think nothing of it, Child. Beest thou not a stranger…” 

And with that, he sunk back beneath the ripples of the pond. Missy watched him go, curiously, before turning back to Mona.

“Did you come to, um, accept me as your apprentice?” she asked, hopefully.

Mona pursed her lips and looked away, “I… need to speak with you. Please come back to the Potionarium with me.”

Missy nodded, and Mona held out her hands. With another few steps, they were back in the labs, in Mona’s room. Missy stumbled dizzily away after Mona let go of her, shaking her head.

“Wow! Please teach me how to do that! Teleportation is really useful!”

“Mm.” Mona sat down at her desk and flipped open her book. She had to get straight to the point. She couldn’t promise the girl anything, “Missy. I need more information on Enchantresses. You said you could possibly answer my questions if I was specific…”

“Oh, yep! I can try!” replied Missy, cheerily, approaching the desk. 

Mona straightened her things and took a moment to compose her thoughts.

“…Missy. If an Enchantress wished to relinquish their powers… how would they go about doing so?”

Missy’s face fell.

“I… I don’t think that’s possible,” she said, uncertainly, “See… We Enchantresses ARE our powers. We’re living magic… I mean, maybe you could remove the magic before Fledging, but I don’t know if the body would still be sentient after that, even if it was still alive…”

Mona shuddered. It seemed so unnerving. To think that there was sentient magic inside herself, animating her dead body… A parasite propping up her corpse. Where did she fit in, then? Where would Mona go once the Enchantress took over? Like so much else, now, she didn’t want to think about it. She had to hold on just long enough…

“Is there any way to suppress these powers, then?”

“Uhh… I guess you could just not use them?” 

“No, I mean, seal them away completely.”

Missy shook her head, “Well, it’s possible for an Enchantress to be sealed inside their amulet, I think. That’s what happened to The Enchantress, actually! She lost Her body, and somebody put a spell on Her amulet to keep the magic from forming or escaping! Until She managed to get a new body, of course… You know, now that I think about it, I wonder who that was? Do you think they’re still alive?” 

Mona frowned, ignoring Missy’s question. Sealing herself away might be a possible solution… but then again, The Enchantress had escaped by stealing somebody else’s body. The Scarlet Sentry’s, if the rumours were true. Even when she was locked away in the heart of the Tower of Fate, foolish heroes still entered to find her magical amulet. Mona couldn’t take that risk with herself. No matter where she hid, no matter how well guarded, there was always a chance…  
A heavy weight settled onto her, suddenly, but she grimly steeled herself against it. There was only one other way, now… Only one more option left.

“…How about… killing an Enchantress?” Mona asked, finally, “You mentioned that it was difficult, I believe.”

Missy nodded, her mouth twisted into a nervous expression, “Erm, yeah… It is hard. Because an Enchantress can’t really die unless their human soul is freed. When an Enchantress Fledges, they put their soul into something outside their body… Like… a lamp? Or a necklace, or a shoe, or something? And so long as that thing is safe, the Enchantress can live forever. Even if their amulet gets broken and their magic comes apart, they’ll still be able to come back to another body… I know that for sure, because the Enchantress told me about Her Soul Object Herself!”

Mona looked up from her notes, “What was her Soul Object?”

“Well…” Missy twiddled her fingers, “She didn’t actually say. But She told me it was something that nobody would ever be able to destroy, not in a million years. Something so old and powerful and magical that it would take the end of the world to bring it down!”

Mona stared, the cogs in her head turning furiously. Something old. Something powerfully magical. Something impossible to destroy… Yet, on the night she was defeated by the Blue Burrower and the Scarlet Sentry, something was destroyed. Something was felled so deeply that it was only ruins now. Something that Mona now knew The Enchantress had held dear to her heart for centuries… 

“…The Tower of Fate…” Mona murmured.

“Huh?”

“Her Soul Object… It must have been in, or the entirety of… the Tower of Fate..!”

Missy blinked, “Hey… yeah! She almost never left the Tower! And Horace the Game Master told me the Tower had been there for ages before She showed up! It was so big and impenetrable..!”

“She’d want something nobody could even conceive of destroying to protect her immortal soul… Something nigh-impregnable…” Mona muttered.

Nevertheless, it had been destroyed, and Mona knew exactly how. In fact, it made total sense– The detonation of the Serum Supernus was incredibly powerful on its own, but the fact that it was a creation of alchemy coming up against a piece of eldritch magic? Alchemy and magic were like fire and black powder. Combining them safely was nearly impossible. The power of the Serum Supernus must have eaten away at the bonds sealing her soul into the Tower, removing it once and for all…

“That’s it… That’s what I need.”

Mona flipped to a new page and began sketching, feverishly.

“Huh? What do you mean?” asked Missy, leaning forwards curiously.

“We destroyed the Tower– My partner and I. Blew it up with a powerful alchemical opus. If I can recreate it… I can destroy my Soul Object and… and everything will be…”

Missy’s eyes grew wide, “W-wait– Destroy your Soul Object? B-but that’s– You’ll be..!”

“I’ll die. Permanently,” Mona stared blankly down at her page, allowing this truth to sink in, “But it can’t be helped. There’s no other way.”

“No– No other way to what?!” cried Missy, “Why– Wh-why do you..?”

“Because I can’t let it happen again,” said Mona, firmly, “From what you say, there is no way to veer from the path I’m on. If I continue, I could become just like her. And you… You knew her, didn’t you? You knew the kind of woman she was. What she was planning… what she wrought.”

Missy’s eyes were glittering wetly, “Yeah… but…”

“It was my ancestor that sealed her away in the first place. He didn’t stop her until it was too late, and his kingdom suffered for it. My family has been tasked with protecting their home from fiends like her for centuries… And that includes me. If I have to protect The Valley from myself, at any cost… So be it.”

“…That’s very brave of you.” mumbled Missy.

“It’s not bravery,” Mona muttered, with a small sigh.

It didn’t feel brave, at least. Mona didn’t feel like some galant hero on their white steed, facing down a terrible monster. She felt more like a nameless knight in a meaningless battle, using the last of their strength to fell their foe in the name of their kingdom. Dying already, yet determined to land one last blow…  
Yes, it felt more like a bitter duty. Forced to abandon her hopes and dreams, she had no choice in the matter. For the alternative… The alternative was seeing The Valley forced back into the shadows. She wasn’t the most scrupulous of people, granted, but the idea of stealing away the future of so many innocents was revolting. The idea of putting Plague Knight through all that again was… it was worse than torture. 

She could still remember the time he’d returned to the Explodatorium, infected with The Enchantress’s freezing magic. Mona had no idea what the woman had done to him, but his vehement refusal to speak of it had made Mona sick to her stomach. With a violent fury, she’d burnt the icy spell out of him, searing it from his flesh with her own magic. It had hurt; her palms had blistered as the enchantment resisted her, but she refused to let it claim him. She would never let anything hurt him like that. Never again. And now, that something was her. She was the enemy, now.

Yet, even as dark as these thoughts were, there was something comforting there. Her conviction in protecting her beloved partner gave her courage. Perhaps she couldn’t directly care about The Valley at large, but those closest to her still evoked an ardent flame of compassion in her heart. For him… for the both of them, she could resist the evil of her destiny just long enough to prevent it. And even if that meant having to part from him, she could at least take comfort in knowing that he would be safe. That’s what came of being in love, it seemed. You cared for somebody else above yourself. 

A warmth began to enclose her as she became filled with certainty. Yes… She refused to become all she hated, and refused to hurt that which she loved most. For as long as she remained in her right mind, she was Mona Mopes, and her destiny was her own..! Even if it had to end in death… it would be on her terms.  
This burst of warmth extended, suddenly, to the girl sitting solemnly before her. Missy had been questing so long for a teacher that she might never find… and even if Mona couldn’t quite provide that to her, at least she could try. Mona always sympathized with the pursuit of knowledge, and besides, this would be a recompense for the information she had provided. If Missy hadn’t warned Mona, she would never have known about her true nature, and she would never have been able to prevent it. Even if she didn’t exactly want to be a teacher, Mona felt she owed Missy for her help. For giving her the chance to go out with a boom.

“Listen, Missy…” The girl looked up, her curls bouncing slightly around her grave, green face, “…It’s going to take some time to complete my potion. So I’ll be around, for a while. I… want to thank you for your help, so… Until I finish the project, I will make time to do my best to teach you what I know of magic.”

Missy’s eyes lit up, and she gave a little gasp of excitement. 

“I’m really more of an alchemist,” Mona continued, quickly, “But learning a little of that can’t hurt either… right?” 

“Oh..! Thank you! Thank you so much!” cried Missy, leaping up with a flourish of her cloak, “I’ll study extra hard! I’ll stick to you like glue! Oh, you’re the best, Moany!”

Mona sighed, “Yeah, yeah. Whatever. But first, we’re going to set a few ground rules, alright?”

She banished her desk and stood up.

“I am now considering you as one of my minions. Your ultimate safety will be my responsibility, but you must use your common sense to stay out of trouble. You must observe handling protocol, wear your uniform, and refrain from touching me unless absolutely necessary.”

Snapping her fingers, Mona conjured a spare minion uniform and presented it to Missy. It was easier this way, if Mona thought about Missy like one of the Potionarium staff. Being a ‘mentor’ wasn’t quite something she was comfortable with -at least not yet- and she always found it easier to care for the idiots in her charge. Besides, if Missy was going to be spending extended periods of time around here, she needed the proper protection. 

“You can change in my bathroom,” Mona lead Missy over to her dressing table and activated the secret switch, sending the girl behind the wall, “Just press the button to get out when you’re done.”

While she was gone, Mona returned to her notebook and circled a few of her notes. She decided that making the Serum Supernus itself wasn’t the perfect solution; after all, if she managed to distill it completely, she might just be making the situation even worse. If she was too far gone by the time she completed it, she might just quaff the brew and become completely unstoppable. She couldn’t let that happen, either.   
Mona frowned, gripping her chin thoughtfully. The Serum’s power was definitely strong enough to get the job done… she just needed to change its purpose from transformative to destructive. 

She had just scribbled down a few ideas on how to achieve that, when Missy returned from the bathroom. She was dressed fully in her new robes, save for the standard-issue mask, and was carrying her clothes and cap under her arm. Her diamond-shaped brooch, however, was pinned to the hood of her uniform. It must be her amulet, Mona realized…

“So!” she cried, excitedly, “Where do we start? Are we going to have lessons in here, or somewhere else? Er– Maybe I can help you with your project while we’re at it!”

Mona couldn’t help but yawn in self-defence; Missy’s sudden bouts of cheeriness were a little much for her.

“First of all, you can’t tell a soul about what I’m up to,” she said, firmly, “Especially not my partner, Plague Knight. He’s the one in the green bird mask.”

“Oh, I know him. I saw him when I was at the Tower, and when he helped you rescue us. I promise I won’t tell! Only… shouldn’t he maybe know about this? I mean… if he’s your partner…”

Mona repressed a wince.

“I… I don’t want to hurt him,” Mona muttered, “He… might try to stop me, you see.”

But this was only a half truth. Because Mona hardly expected him to give a rats ass about her if he found out what she truly was. Plague Knight had hated The Enchantress, and for good reason. The moment he found out about Mona’s condition, he would surely hate her too, just the same as anyone else. The Valley was already wary of green skin. There would be uproar if their suspicions were proven correct.  
And Mona… Mona wasn’t strong enough. She didn’t give a damn about the ire of the faceless masses, but she couldn’t lose him. Not yet. She would have to distance herself, to soften the blow. She could hardly continue to be close to him, being what she was. It was a sort of betrayal to him, wasn’t it..? But… But to outright face his fury… his revulsion… No. She couldn’t stand it. She could stand a lot of things, but not that.

So secrecy was paramount. 

“You understand, don’t you..?”

Missy nodded, uncertainly, “I… I guess so…”

“Good. Do not breathe a word. Now… To business.”

 

The first thing Mona did was give Missy a good tour of the Potionarium. Mona didn’t like the idea of her snooping around, so the best solution was to simply assuage her curiosity early.

“Welcome to the Potionarium,” said Mona, spreading her arms wide in the middle of the main lab, “My laboratory, and your new… home, of sorts, for the duration of our little arrangement.”

Missy turned in a slow circle, staring up at the dark stone walls, taking in the long, dank hallways mounted with their huge, raven-shaped gargoyles. Wires hung from the ceiling, crisscrossing and connecting to various pieces of machinery. Glass orbs full of mysterious liquids glimmered dimly in the torchlight, metal pipes protruded from the ceiling and walls, and tall units of faintly marked drawers rose into the darkness. Missy came to peer at the Dynamo Decanter last of all, her eyes sparkling. 

“It’s amazing..!” she gasped.

Mona couldn’t help but feel a flicker of pride. She’d been the one to build the place, after all. Just as Plague Knight had turned a derelict keep into the Explodatorium, Mona had transformed The Village’s abandoned catacombs into the Potionarium. It was her creation, her refuge, her home. She would forever be proud of it…

“What is that?” asked Missy, turning back to Mona.

“The Dynamo Decanter. My invention. It stabilizes volatile energies.”

Missy beamed, “It’s amaaaazing! So huge!! And you didn’t even use any magic to make it?”

Mona shrugged, “A little summoning when I needed tools, but otherwise, no.”

Missy shook her head in wonderment, “If you were as good at magic as you are at building things, you’d have already conquered The Valley!”

Mona grimaced, “I think it’s time we moved on. Follow me…”

Mona quickly lead Missy on to the next chamber. Where Mona’s lab was primarily lit in green from the Decanter’s huge glass tank, this one was lit up in reds. A strange workplace comprised of raised platforms built on crumbling brick walls. Above the mouth of the room was the Mail Minion’s office, with its hanging lamp and its post box. The Mail Minion wasn’t there, presently; he was most likely out picking up something or other. Beyond that, an empty hutch decorated with a raven’s coat of arms and a barren wooden table were all that was left of Percy and the Magicist’s stations. At the far end was Oolong’s platform, which sat above the secret exit tunnels. Oolong was snoozing peacefully in his place, his spindly arms and legs folded. 

Mona noticed Missy peering at him curiously.

“That’s Oolong, our bard,” Mona explained, without waiting for her to ask aloud, “He plays music to keep up morale. Don’t bother him unless you’re making a request.”

Mona knew certain minions -and even her partner- liked to tease Oolong sometimes. Mona felt rather protective of him, having been the one to bring him here in the first place, and she tried to keep an eye out for him whenever she could. Woe betide anyone caught bullying him…

“Yes ma’am!” said Missy, saluting, “He looks nice! I’ll be sure not to wake him up.”

Mona lead Missy down the far corridors, then, taking her deeper into the bowels of the Potionarium.

“This is where the alchemy happens,” she said, as they entered the production wing, “Or did, before everyone went on vacation…”

Her voice echoed slightly in the vast chamber, bouncing off the cavernous stone walls. Conveyer belts sat motionless, beginning to collect dust. The pneumatic tube system used to carry the completed bombs to their storage area had been switched off. It now sat in silence, its glass portholes reflecting the faint, purplish light and the pair of visitors.

Speaking of bomb storage, that was next. It was comprised of large steel containers stacked in a grid, with glass windows set into the sides to allow visual access to their contents. Each one contained a different type of bomb, which were fed in by the tube system in the production chamber. The bottoms of the containers were fitted with an alchemagical lining, which corresponded to the patches on the inside of Plague Knight’s robes. Using Mona’s magic, he could call whatever type he needed to his side, simply by thinking of the correct combination.   
Making each individual type of bomb as more components were introduced was something of a difficult task; had their operation been less sensitive, Mona would have considered figuring out a less labour-intensive way to solve the problem. But, as it was, she hadn’t had the time, and now it seemed a little pointless… 

“Bomb storage..? You build bombs in here?” asked Missy, as she tried to get a good look at the nearest crate which was labelled ‘sentry-lob-cascade’.

“Plague Knight’s weapon of choice,” said Mona, “Effective, but ephemeral.”

“Did you make all these, too?” Missy looked away from the smudged window and stared up at Mona again.

“The minions put them together. But I designed them,” replied Mona.

“Wow… I can see how Mr. Plague Knight managed to take down the Tower.” 

Mona shrugged, “It doesn’t necessarily depend on firepower. In the hands of a fool, these would be useless. Now, come on, there’s a bunch of boring storage and testing rooms to get through.”

True to her word, they visited the blast-marked testing ranges and half-empty storage cellars next. The final stop on the tour were the kitchens, all fit with the latest in food-preserving technology, and the barracks, where the minions slept. 

The barracks were situated in another large, reddish-lit room filled with rows upon rows of beds. Screens were set up to give the occupants some privacy, as well as each being equipped with a small closet and a side-table. Many were packed with personal effects and tchotchkes, giving the place a homier feel than the almost clinical boarding room it resembled. Still others were vacant and neatly folded, now, after the exodus. 

Mona showed Missy to an unoccupied bed and stood back.

“You may stay here, if you like,” she said, absently. It didn’t matter if Missy stayed or went to live back at the Troupple Pond, but she supposed it would be best to give her a specific place to choose from, lest she decide to stay and sleep in the halls like an urchin, “At least drop your clothes off.”

Missy, who had been carrying her clothing the whole time, gratefully tossed them onto the bedspread. 

“Great! Thank you so much! I’ll take great care of it,” she said, excitedly.

“I mean, you don’t have to stay–“ Mona began, before Missy began to gush about how cool it was here, again.

Mona sighed quietly and rolled her eyes. Oh well. At least she wasn’t complaining…

\- - - 

Stealth operations weren’t something that Mona was unaccustomed to. She’d spent the last five or so years running one under the nose of everyone in The Valley. Setting up another one under her partner’s beak wasn’t much harder, though emotionally it was a little more taxing.

Even so, Mona calmly told him about Missy staying at the Potionarium as her apprentice, and about the existence of a top-secret project she was working on. She crafted her story very carefully, making the details natural, putting on her most bored, businesslike tone, and throwing in a devious smirk every once in a while. It was everything he’d come to expect from her; not a mannerism out of place, not a hint or clue that anything was out of the ordinary. Some lies didn’t have to be big, and they were better for it. The closer they were to the truth, the harder they were to pick apart…

Plague Knight even seemed happy about Missy coming to stay.

“Hee! Look at that! You’ve already got out-of-towners queuing up to learn from your genius, heeheehee!”

He also seemed completely fine with her mystery project. He was curious, of course, as usual, but he also respected Mona’s wishes.

“Hee! Well then, I’ll just have to cook up a secret formula of my own! Maybe something to do with my delightful new set of robes, weeheehaha!!”

Satisfied that he was none the wiser, Mona began work on operation Serum Destructus. She spent long hours studying her notes on the Serum Supernus, carefully combing through the details and slowly developing the key alterations to the Ultimate Potion.   
Most of the time, she had an audience during her study; Missy was, unfortunately, living up to her promise of sticking to Mona’s side, and now the two seemed inseparable. Where Mona went, Missy followed, and no matter how taciturn and grouchy Mona was, the girl seemed to brush it all off.  
Mona supposed she ought to look after her, as she’d promised, but Mona’s solitary and gloomy disposition made the ever-chipper Missy difficult to deal with. 

“Hey, Moany,” she piped up one afternoon, as Mona pored over her new notebook in a secluded storage area, “Can I ask you a question?”

Mona didn’t respond. She’d heard the request, but preferred to focus on her work. Questions could be answered later, when her formula was complete. Missy waited for a few minutes, before speaking again. 

“Hey, Moany?”

Mona remained silent still, crossing off an unlikely combination. A few minutes later, Missy spoke yet again.

“Uhh… Moany?”

“What?” Mona finally placed down her quill and glanced coldly up at her new protégée, face stony as a statue.

“I was just wondering,” Missy continued, as if nothing was wrong, “How do you do alchemy?”

Mona was about to explain that alchemy was a very complicated and many-layered discipline, and she’d have to be more specific if she wanted an answer. But then Mona realized that would mean Missy would continue the conversation. Mona loved talking about her passion, but she was also preoccupied with it at the moment, and when it came to a choice between talking and doing, Mona preferred the latter. 

“…You study it,” she said, bluntly, before looking back down at her notebook.

“Oh! No, I meant, how do YOU do alchemy? If you’re an Enchantress?”

Mona’s eyebrows knit, “What?”

“Well, I mean– I know a little bit about alchemy, just from hearsay. And it doesn’t mix very well with magic, apparently. Not at all, actually,” said Missy, thoughtfully, “So how’ve you been managing to do it all this time without blowing yourself up?”

Mona sighed, “Alchemy is a very delicate art. Even non-magic-users have to be careful while creating alchemical circles and handling chemicals. I just follow safety protocol. The only way it would mix with my magic is if I used an alchemical construct on myself… which I never have.”

Missy nodded slowly, and went silent. Mona sagged in relief. Good. No more questions. She was just about to get back to her notes when Missy proved her previous supposition wrong.

“It must have been so inconvenient, though..!”

“What?”

Mona looked back up at Missy in exasperation. She was twisting a finger into one of her emerald curls and pulling it downwards, causing the hair to bounce back up against her face when it unwound.

“That you couldn’t use medical alchemy if you ever got sick or hurt! That’s such a pain!”

Mona blinked, “I– Well, of course I used medical alchemy! I’m no expert at it, but Plague Knight keeps a stock of healers and any time I needed one I’d…”

Mona trailed off, staring blankly. Missy had just brought up something very unusual that she’d never thought about before. Mona had always been wary of consuming alchemical potions. She even remembered, now, telling Plague Knight that she doubted she could drink the Serum Supernus without harming herself. Yet, as she’d just said, she’d used alchemical healing draughts to cure her ailments before, and she was still in one piece.   
She’d never really thought of medical alchemy as ‘real’ alchemy, most likely because of her personal difficulties with the branch. Yet, alchemical medicines were definitely different from traditional or magical ones. The tonics the Magicist brewed were not the same as the health potions she’d made for Plague Knight, and they certainly weren’t like the poultices and teas the local healers supplied to their patients. So how on earth was Mona able to interact with them without hurting herself..? 

“Uh, Moany?”

Mona shook her head a little, focusing on Missy again, “Ah..?”

“You kinda trailed off, there…”

“Oh, I… Look, I’m very busy, here. I don’t have time to wonder about why alchemy hasn’t blown me up yet… There’s probably something different about healing alchemy. It’s probably… Less reactive, or something… I…”

And she’d been able to master the marriage of magic and alchemy so easily, too… Plague Knight’s staffs, the bomb transportation system in his cloak, the telebombs… The only time she could remember alchemy directly reacting badly with her physiology was when she’d wanted it to on purpose, using her hair to light the alchemagical fire that destroyed the Academy of Alchemy. 

“…I’ve got to finesse,” she muttered, finally, “I need to figure out the final formula so I can start collecting the ingredients. And it needs to be perfect… I need to destroy my Soul Object completely.”

Missy nodded, seriously, “Mm! Yeah… Uhh… Moany? What IS your Soul Object, anyway?”

Yet again, Mona went silent in surprise. Missy’s habit of pointing out things Mona hadn’t thought about was getting to be very annoying.

“I–… I-I don’t know… I didn’t… I mean, I don’t remember making one..? How does that work, anyway?”

Missy hung her head, “I don’t know… The Enchantress told me She’d explain how to do it, but She never got around to it… She probably never meant to, anyway… All I know is that the soul leaves the body when you Fledge, and enters something of your choosing.”

“But I didn’t choose anything,” said Mona, agitatedly, “I didn’t even know I was Fledging..!”

“Then, maybe it just… went into the nearest thing? The last thing you touched? Where were you when it happened? Maybe it’s there, somewhere…”

Mona thought back to the sudden bout of pain and heat. It was a very hazy memory. The sensation had been so intense it had sort of blotted everything else out… But she had been in her room. Odds are, her Soul Object was in there, somewhere.

“It’s probably in my room,” Mona muttered, “I suppose… it doesn’t matter if we know what the Object is, so long as it’s in the blast radius? If my calculations are correct, the Serum Destructus should be incredibly potent. If I just detonate it in my room, it ought to do the trick…”

She felt a little melancholy at the idea of having to destroy the Potionarium, but she supposed it was a small price to pay. And the last memory of herself wiped from the earth along with her, to boot…

“I guess so…” said Missy, finally letting go of her curls. 

“Here,” said Mona, snapping her fingers and conjuring a textbook out of nowhere, “If you’re curious about alchemy, read this.”

She handed Missy the book, who took it slowly, “Oh! Well I’m much more interested in how you summoned that book… But I guess I could give this a look.”

Finally assured that Missy would stop pestering her, Mona returned to her work.

\- - -

It took a week of tireless study for Mona to perfect a full deviation from the original recipe. Without needing to take care of any bodily functions, however, it was much easier to spend virtually every second of every day working, and this sped the process up nicely. Mona worked while keeping out of the way, alternating between her room and her desk in the main lab to make it appear as though everything was normal. She also did her best to clean the area as she went, to prevent texts and reference experiments from piling up too much to draw attention.  
She kept a close eye out for Plague Knight during this time, and an ear out for the gossip of the minions. Plague Knight, it seemed, was still none the wiser, and very caught up in whatever his own secret project was. The minions, however, did seem to be noticing that Mona was more relentless than ever in her study. Mona found herself giving them meaningless busywork to keep them distracted. If they happened to blab to, or in the vicinity of Plague Knight, things might go awry… But at last, the stress was over, and Mona had what she believed to be a workable formula for the Serum Destructus.

“I’ve got it,” she muttered to Missy, who was, as usual, seated by her side, “I think this ought to do.”

She had decided to just include Missy in the project directly, now. If the girl refused to leave her side, pushing her away would just be an extra effort. Besides, she seemed like a clever young woman, and her promise to keep mum was being kept.

“It’s all ready?” asked Missy, leaning in, excitedly.

“Yes. As you can see, the alterations aren’t that drastic…” Mona pointed to the most recent page of her book, where a clean, organized explanation had been pared away from all of its previous hypothetical babble, “The three main non-Essential ingredients of the Serum Supernus were used as a sort of indicator of the potion’s purpose. The Blood, Spit and Tears all signified the strength and perseverance one needs to achieve greatness, thus creating a shortcut to ultimate power…”

Mona tapped the page, smirking a little, “Changing those three ingredients changes the purpose of the potion, but not its energy..! …Or so I believe. In any case, since I am building an explosive, I’ve replaced the three main ingredients with those of black powder! Sal petrae, charcoal, and sulphur.” 

Missy nodded thoughtfully, then shrugged, “I’m not really sure what any of this means, but I think I follow!”

Mona shook her head, “It’s fine. All you need to know is that, apart from the Essences, these are the three ingredients we need to obtain. Now… since the original three ingredients were all magically exotic in nature, I believe these new ones must be, also. My theory is that their innate power allows them to coexist safely with the Essences… Therefor, we must find the appropriate ingredients. Firstly, there is no magical form of Sal Petrae, but I believe I can fix that by distilling it in Ichor…”

“Oh! I can get you some! I’ll go right down to the Troupple Pond as soon as possible!” cried Missy, before wheedling, “Aaand maybe you could teach me how to teleport so I could get there faster..?”

Mona ignored her, “Charcoal isn’t inherently magical, but by subjecting a mystical plant to pyrolysis, I should be able to create a usable substance. It ought to hold onto some of its magic even after being broken down… I’ve already sent away for a couple of expired Plantos to make use of…”

Mona’s expression intensified as her eyes moved to the final ingredient on the short list.

“Now… As for Sulphur, it’s already an ingredient in the original Serum. It’s part of the stabilizing body of the potion, meant to keep the Essences in check by fooling them into believing they’re still inside a living being. But there is another type of sulphur that will serve as the final ingredient for my alteration, and that is the substance known as Brimstone.”

Missy’s eyes went wide.

“Brimstone..? You mean– You mean brimstone-brimstone?”

“You’ve heard of it, huh?”

“Well, I did learn a lot about the occult while I lived at the Tower…”

Mona nodded, grimly, “Good. Then I’d like you to help me get some.”

Brimstone was a rather curious substance. Interchangeable with sulphur in old poetry and texts, it was actually quite another matter altogether. While Brimstone and sulphur had many of the same qualities, it was Brimstone’s place of origin that set it apart. Brimstone was found in one place, and one place only… The underworld.   
Necromancers had been the first to discover the stuff on their voyages through the lands of the dead. They’d often complain that certain areas stunk pungently of sulphur, but had begun bringing back the substance out of curiosity. It possessed many subtle magical properties, and it was for this reason that Mona thought it the best option for her altered recipe.

“The sal petrae and charcoal are already practically in the bag,” said Mona, confidently, “So let’s start work on obtaining the Brimstone right now. What do you know about it?”

Mona flipped a page in her notebook and titled it with “Brimstone”, and Missy began playing with her hair again. It seemed to be a habit when she was thinking. 

“Nothing directly,” Missy began, “I’m an expert at Wisp summoning rituals, and I know a lot about undead anatomy, but I’ve never actually entered a portal to the underworld. But..!”

Missy beamed up at Mona, brightly, “I do have some leads on where we can get occult information, so I’m pretty sure we can find the right procedure!”

“Excellent!” Mona stood up, her cape billowing dramatically behind her, “Then let’s get to work..!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enter the driving force behind our quest, and a new sidekick! Seeya next time... -TS


	8. The Retrieval

Studying necromancy was a new experience for Mona. She’d read magical textbooks before, but the art of summoning and controlling the dead was a little different, unsurprisingly. Luckily, it was one of the earthier magics, and thus resembled alchemy somewhat, with intricate rituals being similar to alchemical formulae. This made Mona feel more confident about attempting to use it.

Not that she had much to work from, exactly. Necromancy was a jealously guarded practice, and those outside the fold were lucky to see the art performed, much less get their hands on any actual equipment.  
Missy was able, as promised, to obtain some tomes on the subject, though ‘some’ consisted of only two badly battered volumes. There was a good chance they wouldn’t be able to find what they were looking for inside them… but nevertheless, Mona was grateful. Despite her annoyingly cheery disposition, Missy was proving to be an efficient and hardworking assistant. 

The research was done exclusively in Mona’s room, where things could be kept out of sight. Once Missy returned from who-knew-where with the books, Mona set to poring carefully over them with her, marking any pages that might be at all useful to their project.  
At first, information on the underworld itself was scarce. The books mainly contained information on how to bring back various creatures from the dead, and bend them to one’s will. To Mona’s amusement and interest, she found the very spell used to create Macawbes tucked away in her volume. Mona had much experience with the smokey, spectral birds, as a flock of them inhabited the Explodatorium. She’d helped Plague Knight teach them to fetch shiny objects, and she knew that they were currently employed in keeping the water supply clean -though apparently, they occasionally deviated from their assigned pathways and created something of a nuisance with their rather explosive cargo.

Eventually, it was Missy who found what they were looking for, at the very back of the book she’d chosen to peruse. 

“Here! Look at this,” she said, beckoning Mona over, “Here’s a ritual for creating a temporary portal to the underworld! Not a very deep one, unfortunately, but that should be enough, right?”

Mona moved swiftly around the table to get a look at the page Missy was pointing to. It seemed simple enough. Almost unnervingly simple, in fact. The only difficult part was pronouncing the incantation correctly. The materials themselves wouldn’t be too difficult to obtain; red string, chalk, four copper pieces, a silver dagger and…

“A blood sacrifice, huh?” said Mona, raising an eyebrow.

“Yes– you need a bit of death to open the portal,” said Missy, who had already read through the instructions in their entirety, “When something dies, its soul comes out, and gets pulled into the afterlife! This ritual kinda… grabs onto that soul and holds the door open after it, you know? And it’ll stay open until you reemerge back into the living world!” 

Mona nodded, “Good. This is exactly what we need.”

“But,” Missy said, quickly, “It doesn’t say much about staying safe down there… It’s not a good idea to just walk into the land of the dead without some kind of protection.”

Mona raised her other eyebrow, “Protection? Like what? A sword? A parasol?”

Missy’s eyes crinkled in amusement, “Heheh– No, silly! Something to make sure you don’t die! The living aren’t really meant to go down there, you know!”

“Well, I’m not alive, anymore, if you’ll remember,” said Mona, flatly.

“Oh yeah…” giggled Missy, tapping her knuckles on her forehead sheepishly, “Guess I’m the silly one…”

“Right,” said Mona drawing the tome towards her and opening her notebook to scribble down the information, “The only thing here that requires any special attention is the silver dagger… I suppose if I bring some raw materials to a smith at the Armour Outpost, I could have one commissioned…”

“What about the sacrifice? What are you going to use for that?” asked Missy.

Mona was a little amused at the frank, matter-of-fact way Missy spoke when she brought up blood sacrifices, as if they were something she performed every day. …Then again, if she’d worked with The Enchantress…

“I prefer not to commit murder if at all possible,” said Mona, with a sigh. 

There had been one or two cases where certain ill-meaning, defecting minions had to be… silenced. And certain experiments unfortunately went very badly awry. But Mona never relished the experience. She simply did what she had to.

“But the Explodatorium is full of ratsploders, and there are always a few that end up maimed or ill. I’ll just swing by and pick one that’s suffering. End it quickly…”

It seemed like the least distasteful option. Mona reasoned that mercy-killing an ailing beast with no hope of recovery was kinder than cutting down something that was living in its prime. Besides, one death to prevent thousands… She could live -or rather, die- with that. 

“Oh, I see… That’s very practical of you,” said Missy, nodding. 

Once again, Mona was a little tickled by the outwardly adorable young woman being so blasé about murder and dark magic. Missy resembled in every way a fairytale princess more than an evil sorceress, even if she did wear a lot of black. Though, Mona supposed, she herself didn’t quite visually fit the bill either.

“Is that everything for the evening..?” asked Missy, sliding hesitantly out of her chair and wavering between it and the door out of Mona’s room.

Mona sighed quietly and shook her head, “No… I suppose it’s finally time I held up my end of the deal. Let’s see if I can’t teach you a little magic…”

Missy’s face lit up and she rammed herself back down into her chair, bouncing excitedly in her seat.

“Oh, yes please!”

Mona rolled her eyes. Missy’s enthusiasm for learning was as potent as Plague Knight’s, and– Oh blast, she was thinking about him again. Mona shooed her partner out of her head and took a moment to think of what she might be able to instruct upon.

“Well…” she said, banishing the necromancy books to their hiding place, “Well, I… oh! Summoning and banishing. I suppose we could start with that.”

“Oh yes! I’d love to learn that– I can only summon Wisps, and then, it’s very expensive…”

Mona decided not to ask what that meant, and tried to think of a way to explain the process of summoning an object.   
The problem with Mona’s magic had always been that she didn’t know how to control it. She knew what she knew, but learning anything new was always by mistake or by chance. The Magicist had tried time and time again to find a school of sorcery that fit Mona’s powers, but she was never able to succeed… Mona realized now that it was because she was an Enchantress, but that didn’t help in the slightest. Mona still didn’t know how to improve her powers, and she certainly didn’t know how to pass them on. All she could do was describe what she felt…

“Right. Well,” she began, awkwardly, “When I… When I summon things, I have to think about them. I think of the object, and then… I call on it. Pull it to me with… some kind of… other limb, I suppose? I mean, obviously it’s my magic, but…” 

Mona groaned inwardly, ‘Great way to describe it, Mona! Super clear! Well done!’

She gave a sigh and tried again, “It’s all about concentration, I think. At this point, I don’t have to think very hard at all, but if it’s something I… Oh! And that’s important– if I don’t know where it is, or what it is, I won’t be able to summon it. Things I don’t know very well are harder to summon, too…”

Missy listened raptly, wide black eyes shining like little stars. Mona felt reflexively guilty for the abysmal job she was doing and the much underserved reverence it was getting, and this annoyed her greatly. 

“And I usually… snap.” Mona did so, banishing her notebook to its place among the others, “But I don’t think you necessarily need to do that. So… I guess… Give it a try..?”

Missy nodded vigorously, then shut her eyes and held up her hands. She sat there, eyebrows knit in concentration.

“…Is it not working?” Mona asked, after a while. She hadn’t really expected it to…

“…Uh… I can’t think of anything to summon,” said Missy, sheepishly, opening her eyes.

Mona scoffed quietly in exasperation, “Why don’t you try summoning that hat of yours from wherever you stored it.”

Missy perked up, “Oh! That’s perfect! Okay!”

She shut her eyes again and raised her hands once more, as if reaching for something roughly the size of her hat. There was another long silence. After a while, she began to make grasping motions, and her face crumpled into a look of painful concentration. It seemed her attempts were not going too well. She even tried snapping her fingers, to no avail. Finally, she opened her eyes and sagged.

“Aw… I can’t do it,” she mumbled, pouting, “I just can’t seem to find it! I keep picturing my hat, and reaching for it, but all there is is blackness…”

“Well, I’m sure you’ll get the hang of it eventually,” Mona lied, glancing away, “It just takes practice…”

If she were honest, Mona would admit she had no idea if Missy could master summoning or not– at least by following Mona’s instructions. Mona had perfected the technique simply by feeling her way blindly towards it when she needed it. Missy would most likely have to do the same, on her own.

“Oh well! I’ll just keep trying, then! Thanks for coaching me,” Missy piped up, beaming again.

Mona repressed a grimace.

“Right… Well. I’m going to look into getting that mound of silver. You may return to the barracks… or go wherever you please.” 

“Okay!”

Missy got up with a bounce and scrambled to the door to Mona’s room, waving at her instructor over her should before she slipped out. Mona watched her go wearily and then meandered over to her bed and sat down, heavily. Despite no longer needing to sleep, Mona still somehow managed to feel exhausted. 

\- - -

“Alright. Here they are…”

The Plantos Mona had ordered had finally arrived. Now that they were here, Mona could begin the process of breaking them down into magical charcoal.   
She had set up her pyrolysis drum in her main lab without too much fear of being watched. Most of the remaining minions were tucked away in the new makeshift library where their alchemical study took place, and Plague Knight was busy with his own ‘secret project’ somewhere in the testing ranges. He’d ordered some of his old equipment back from the Explodatorium and was having it installed down there. Since his project was also to be kept a mystery, Mona was not allowed to venture in to see him, and this was exactly what she needed to keep him out of her hair.

Once she was satisfied with her station, Mona allowed the Mail Minion to wheel the newly received crate of Plantos in on a dolly. Plantos were large, vegetable-like creatures that somewhat resembled onions. They had bulbous, pale ‘heads’ with several eyes and mouths spaced out in such a way that a face was always peering at you no matter how you turned it. Sprouting from the top was a leafy protrusion that, in the right circumstances, allowed the Planto to fly. By rotating the leaves in the wind, Plantos could spiral upwards, their limb-like roots flapping below. All in all, they were rather unnerving creatures, but undoubtedly magical, and exactly what Mona needed for her potion. Cracking open the crate, Mona reached inside and lifted out one of the expired bodies, inspecting it.

“Pretty fresh. Good. Let’s get them in the drum…”

Hefting the three-foot vegetable under her arm, she grabbed another one and carried it over to the metal cylinder in the middle of the room. She dumped them in, one by one, carefully patting them down to fit as many in as possible.

Missy, of course, was there with her, watching intently. 

“Hmm…”

Mona glanced up at her as she heard her sigh, and noticed her plaintive expression.

“What?”

“Well… They’re all going to get cooked up…” Missy pointed to the one in Mona’s arms, “Its little faces look so sad..!”

Mona raised an eyebrow incredulously. She’d been perfectly chipper talking about blood sacrifices, and now she was getting weepy over a few dead plants? 

“They won’t feel it,” Mona said, brusquely, dumping the Planto unceremoniously in next to its kin and tamping it down before slamming the lid on top, “They’re dead. Now…”

Mona concentrated for a moment, before summoning a block of burners from the Explodatorium. Having developed the constructs herself, Mona knew how to hook them up to an energy source and get them burning. Placing the drum in the middle, Mona set the burners alight and stood back.

“Great. That’ll take about three hours or so to cook down. In the meantime, did you get the Ichor?”

Missy perked up and nodded, withdrawing several bottles from her cloak. Their contents were viscous and pale yellow.

“It’s just plain ol’ Troupple King spit,” said Missy, “Just like you asked!”

“Good.” 

Mona took the bottles and approached her work shelf, where she deposited them before stooping down to draw an alchemical circle on the floor.

“First, I have to make a solution from the sal petrae and the this Ichor… I think I can dilute it a little so long as I mix well…”

So saying, she conjured a vat of water onto the circle and began emptying the Ichor slowly into it. 

“Vitriol to water, never the reverse,” said Mona, vaguely, as Missy approached to watch, “They don’t play nice.”

“What’s vitriol?” 

“Depending on what type, a very dangerous solution with corrosive properties. Some vitriols react negatively with water and cause intense exothermic results, which is why it’s best to add the volatile substance to the diluting agent…”

“I don’t think Ichor is a vitriol,” said Missy, “Otherwise you wouldn’t be able to drink it.”

Mona frowned as she finished off her task, “Well, it’s a good thing to keep in mind nonetheless. Anyway…”

With a flick of her wrist, she summoned a paddle and her supply of sal petrae. After carefully mixing the water and Ichor, Mona began adding the sal petrae, mixing it in with a practiced rotating motion. When she was finished, she stooped down and set the alchemical circle alight, causing the vat to bubble, slightly.

“There. That ought to do it. I’ll let that sit until it’s ready for distillation… It’ll probably finish around the same time as the charcoal…” she spoke mostly to herself, gripping her chin, thoughtfully.

“What do we do in the meantime?” asked Missy.

“…Ah. I was going to brief you on the third task.” Mona beckoned Missy to her desk, opening her notebook to the page on Brimstone, “I’ve been looking for a place to perform the ritual, and it seems that the Ruins of Fate might be the only spot.”

Missy blinked, “Huh? The Ruins of Fate? Like… l-like where the Tower was? Why..?”

She clearly didn’t seem keen on it. Mona ignored her– they didn’t have any other choices.

“The Ruins are still powerfully magical, even if The Enchantress isn’t there anymore. That Tower was ancient, and I’m pretty sure even the earth below it was bespelled. According to my sources on Brimstone, it tends to collect in powerful locations… It’s hypothesized it leeches the magic out of the earth, somehow. And since you said the portal ritual won’t be very powerful, we need to find a place where Brimstone is close to the surface. Besides… nobody wants to go near the Ruins. We’ll be left in peace.”

Missy still seemed a little nervous, “Well, that does make sense… But there’s other things besides Brimstone in places like the Tower, Moany… I’d be careful.”

Mona raised an eyebrow at her cryptic warning, but decided there was no point in inquiring further. There wasn’t really anywhere else she could think of that might be enchanted enough besides the Troupple’s Wood, and she could hardly defile it with a blood sacrifice. 

“It’ll be a quick job. In and out. Everything will be fine,” she asserted, calmly, “For now, we have to double-check the supplies.”

Snapping her fingers, Mona summoned what she’d managed to amass. A spool of red thread, one of the standard sticks of white chalk she used for making alchemical circles, and four copper pieces she’d dug out of the reclaimed treasury.

“I took the silver in to the Armour Outpost the other day to have it forged,” she said, “According to the smith I spoke to, the dagger will be ready by… oh, tomorrow, actually. If I can finish the distillation over night, we can pick up the dagger in the morning and head to the Ruins.” 

“Wow, that’s great! But, uh…” Missy tugged on one of her curls, “Are you sure you’re not rushing things, Moany?”

Mona shot her a look, “Getting the Essences will hardly be easy. I’ll need all my resources to secure them– Especially without Plague Knight finding out. I want this preliminary stuff out of the way as quickly as possible.” 

“O-oh, I see,” said Missy, “That makes sense! …Hey, what IS an Essence, anyway?”

“A manifestation of a person’s… ‘selfness’. The greatest concentration of You in energy form,” Mona explained, carefully, “It’s similar to a soul, but not quite. In general, Essences are thought to be comprised of someone’s personality, memories, and consciousness, but also tend to chiefly represent and encompass a single, significant trait. For example, someone especially courageous might have an Essence of Bravery, or somebody concerned with laughing or making people laugh might contain the Essence of Mirth.”

Mona gave a small shrug, “Honestly, there’s very little information on them, so I’m doing most of the nomenclature here.”

“Ooh! Ooh! What’s mine?!” asked Missy, excitedly.

Mona frowned, “I can’t tell immediately. I’d have to get to know you better, or at least observe your Essence carefully over a period of weeks, or even months. Which I don’t have time for.”

Missy pouted, “Aw… Well, how do you get an Essence, then? Maybe you can teach me to do it on my own!”

Mona paused, her frown deepening.

“…Well, there is one of two ways. Essences can be given up willingly, with a little application of magical or alchemical power. I, for example, can remove my Essence at any time for observation.” 

Missy grinned, “That sounds easy! Is that how you’re going to get the other Essences you need for your potion?” 

Mona sighed, “Well, that is what I hope to do…”

She already knew she’d be lucky if she could use that method on even one of the ex-members of the Order of No Quarter. 

“Hope to? Well– What’s the other way?” asked Missy.

“…The other way is to take it by force,” Mona said, slowly, “The host cannot resist if they are beaten into submission.”

Missy’s face fell. Mona felt the same way, privately. Plague Knight had been able to blast his way through his coworkers with his bombs, but Mona wasn’t what one would call a fighter. If faced with a threatened Knight, she doubted she would be able to do more than defend herself. 

“…I’m hoping I don’t have to use method number two,” she said, at last, “Which is why I have to focus the most on the Essences. I have to figure out a way to get them without being forced to resort to combat.”

Missy made a soft sound of agreement. After a small silence, Mona stood up.

“Right. Well. I think everything is taken care of. How are you… getting on with your summoning?” 

Missy winced, “Um, not very well. I still can’t make anything appear.”

“Hm. Well, practice makes perfect,” said Mona, unsure of what else she could offer, “Really try to picture what you’re after.”

“Mmmm, okayyy…”

 

After Missy’s uneventful magic lesson, -if one could call it that- Mona sent her off to her barracks and took a moment to herself while waiting for the charcoal to be ready. She sat at her desk, eyes closed, listening to the faint hum of the lab around her. 

‘Well, this is it,’ she thought to herself, wearily, ‘The beginning of the end. It’s funny, isn’t it? You spent your whole life fighting this, and now you just have to give up…’

Her heart -or what was left of it- ached. The emptiness had crept up on her, as a young girl. There was only so much snubbing a child could take; only so many times a hug or a word of comfort was refused, only so many hours alone in ones tower room until her body began to feel hollow and her mind heavy. Until the light turned grey, and even being let out into it didn’t feel good anymore.  
From time to time she’d considered escaping her room through the only other way save the door; the great window that overlooked the sweeping grounds. But then, she’d be escaping everything else entirely, wouldn’t she. Somehow, she’d refused the call of the ground below. Instead of drowning in her tears, she’d let them collect in the pit of her stomach, letting the salt calcify and stiffen until she was cold and hard like a stone. Nothing could break a stone.

Or so she’d told herself. But she knew that wasn’t true, literally or metaphorically, and the truth was finally catching up on her. All that hard work, for nothing. The rewards she’d finally reaped, snatched away from her when they were sweetest.

Momentarily, Mona felt the urge to go find her partner. He was somewhere in the labs, working on his project, but surely he could spare a moment to– No.  
No, she couldn’t go running to him. She was supposed to be keeping him in the dark, and distancing herself to boot. If she didn’t separate herself from him, at least mentally, it would only hurt more when they had to part.

Mona sank back into her chair with a sigh and stared up at the ceiling. Maybe she could ask Oolong to play her a song? …But she didn’t feel like dancing. Was there anything else she could work on in her notebook..? No, not really. There was no point; she’d never finish any of the projects, now, anyway.

With a final sigh, Mona shut her eyes again and tried to fall asleep. She wasn’t sure if she could still do it, but perhaps this was the time to try.

\- - -

By the next morning, Mona’s schedule was perfectly on track. She’d woken from her stupor and removed the charred remains of the Plantos to be packed away for safe keeping, then begun the distillation process on the sal petrae. In the time remaining, she’d travelled up to the Explodatorium to collect a sufficiently ailing ratsploder, which she placed inside a case and tucked into her robes. By the time the sun was up again, the ingredients were organized, the supplies were packed, and the lab was clean. Now, to the Armour Outpost for her dagger. 

When Mona got to the minion barracks, she found Missy awake and dressed, waiting for her.

“You’re awake..?”

“Yep! Couldn’t sleep.”

“You and me, both. Now, tell me, are you afraid of heights?”

 

After allowing her a fleeting moment to grab breakfast, Mona took Missy to the catapult, where she carefully adjusted the coordinates and weight measurements to ensure a safe trip to the Armour Outpost. 

“Wow! I’ve never used a catapult before!”

“Just sit still in the bucket and hold on tight,” said Mona, “This is one of the times you are allowed to touch me.”

Missy nodded and reached out to Mona as she climbed into the bucket beside her. After Mona was sure her arms were tightly around her waist, Mona snapped her fingers and banished the restraining rope to the ground.

KA CHUNCK!

The catapult launched, sending the two women sky high. Missy clung to Mona and let out a whoop of excitement as they soared through the air.

“THIS IS AMAZING!! WEE!!!”

“Alright, alright, settle down,” Mona grumbled. 

When they eventually found themselves falling, Mona concentrated on slowing their descent. Missy seemed quite interested in the process.

“Ooh! How are you doing that? Are you flying? Can you explain it to me?”

“I don’t know how to fly,” said Mona, “I’ve only ever been able to float. And mostly down, at that. Just don’t wiggle while I’m trying to keep us from getting our noses smashed in.”

Once on top of the landing spot on the Aerial Anvil, Mona leaned over to brush down her dress, making it clear that Missy should let go, now. Missy stepped back dutifully and took a look around, excitedly.

“Wow! The Armour Outpost! The Enchantress had some pretty nasty plans for this place– I’m glad they didn’t come to fruition!”

Mona hissed, “Shush! Don’t go saying her name that loud, here!”

She glanced nervously over at the attendant, who was just trudging over, looking tired.

“You two are in early,” he grumbled, narrowing his black eyes at them, “Carrying any weapons?”

“No weapons here,” said Mona, calmly. 

Missy nodded, “Mhm!”

“You two are from the Explodatorium,” said the attendant, “How do I know you’re not hiding any bombs? Go on– Lift those skirts.”

Mona’s eyes flashed, “I doubt you mean to sound like a cad, but I’m not going to lift my skirts for you. I’m not carrying any weapons– in fact, I’m here to pick one up in the Outpost. Now let us past or I’ll summon those bombs you’re so keen on finding.”

The attendant’s ears flattened and his lips drew back in a sneer, “You’d have half the Anvil on you before you could get in a single hit.”

“Oh, you’d like to take that chance?” Mona sneered, “By all means, try me. But I wouldn’t have to hit you to get us down on the ground.”

Mona toed the top of the Anvil meaningly. Poking a hole in that overgrown balloon would be a cinch with her explosives. The attendant was just about to speak, when Missy raised her hands.

“Please! We promise– We’re not here to cause any trouble! We just need to pick up a package, we really promise!”

Mona caught the faint flash of green in her palms, and watched he attendant’s posture relax.

“Oh, well… Alright. We’re just a little tight on security, at the moment…”

“Of course, I understand,” said Missy, gently, “But you don’t have to worry about us!”

The attendant nodded and stood aside, allowing them to descend the ladder into the Aerial Anvil, then down into the Outpost.

“Ingrate,” muttered Mona, under her breath as she climbed, “We saved your stinking Outpost..! …After we took it. But that’s beside the point…” 

On the ground, her expression became lighter, and she turned to Missy, “Well..! That mood trick of yours is pretty useful after all.”

Missy nodded, “Yep! Whenever something goes sour, you just gotta be a little extra sweet!”

Mona rolled her eyes, “Well, good thing you’re with me, then. Sour is my middle name.”

“Mona Sour..?”

“Mopes,” Mona finished.

“Really?!” Missy giggled.

“No. My middle name is Ann.”

 

Down in the Armour Outpost, the denizens seemed to be just waking up. People were out for their morning strolls, or else starting their forges for the daily grind. As usual, the local Troupple Acolyte was performing her dance in an attempt to attract customers. Missy excitedly sprinted over to greet her; it seemed she was close with all the Troupple King’s disciples.

Mona, meanwhile, sought out the smith she’d visited earlier in the week. When she found him, he was organizing his wares. 

“Arh, you’re here for the dagger, right?” he said, as he peered up at her, “I remember you. Green thing. C’mon in, she’s all polished up and ready.”

Mona entered the building and skirted past the workbenches and various tools to where the man was bringing out a simple, gleaming blade. 

“That’ll be three thousand gold,” he said, and Mona summoned the required payment. 

The man blinked at the use of magic, but Mona ignored him and snatched the dagger, tucking it into her robes.

“Good day,” she said, before slinking out of the shop to find Missy.

By the time she was out, Missy seemed to be done visiting with her friend. 

“Did you get the dagger?” she asked, scurrying over curiously.

Mona pulled it out momentarily to show Missy, and accidentally dislodged the ratsploder cage as well.

“Aww, there he is! Are you ready for your big moment, little guy?” cooed Missy as she waved through the tiny bars. The ratsploder squeaked faintly, though it was probably just confused at the sudden light. 

Mona grimaced and tucked both dagger and cage away, before ushering Missy into an empty alleyway. 

“Right. The Ruins are a little far to walk from here, but I’ve teleported to the outskirts of the Stranded Ship a few times. I think I should be able to make the trip again. Hold on tight, please.”

Missy reached up and put her hands around Mona’s waist, and Mona secured an arm around her shoulder before closing her eyes. She knew the way to the place where the snow turned to black rock. She could remember the Magicist’s star maps. 

‘I can make it,’ she thought, before she lifted Missy and took three graceful steps, pirouetting into nothingness.

The blast of cold air a moment later told Mona she’d reached her mark. Opening her eyes, she found herself shin-deep in snow. She could see the dark cliffs of their destination in the distance, though their walk would still be a long one. Luckily, she’d managed to hit the outer side of the mountain range, so they wouldn’t have to do any climbing.

“Alright. Off we go. Here.” Mona unclipped the fastening on her cape and wrapped it around Missy, “Something tells me your magic doesn’t keep you warm, and I can’t have you lagging behind.”

“I-I’ll keep up!” Missy promised, tugging the cape tighter and setting off though the snow.

She was true to her word, as it turned out; despite her shorter stature, Missy was able to keep pace with Mona. She trudged through the snow relentlessly, sending sprays of white up beside her. If she could keep that up, they would reach the Ruins before evening, which was good. Mona didn’t like the idea of performing necromancy in the dark.

THUD.

Mona stumbled back, snapping out of her thoughts, as something landed in front of them. At first, all Mona could see was a bright red circle standing out against the whiteness of the snow, until it turned away to reveal a figure behind it. Mona stared. It was a knight. Or rather, a Knight, as the bright crimson armour, tall helmet and enormous shield -for that is what it was- revealed the figure’s identity. 

The Scarlet Sentry– Shield Knight.

“Halt.”

Mona felt a shiver pass down her spine at the word. The Knight’s voice was colder than the cliffs from which she’d jumped. 

“Go no further.”

Mona quickly found her voice, “Excuse me? What right do you have to stop our passage? Stand aside.”

The Knight approached, and Mona did her best to stand her ground, refusing to be intimidated.

“W-what do you want with us?” asked Missy, nervously. 

The Knight glanced down at her. Mona couldn’t see her eyes under her helmet. 

“…I want to know just who you are, and what you mean to do in The Valley.”

Mona narrowed her eyes, “Don’t you have anything better to do than to harass travellers? I thought knights were supposed to be heroic.” 

The Knight thumped her larger shield against the ground, “I’ve heard whispers of your presence in the villages. I wanted to ascertain for myself your intentions.”

“My intention is to walk past you,” said Mona, acidly, “So if you could move…”

Missy shuffled forwards, holding up her hands again, “Erm, please, ms. Knight! W-we’re not up to no good! We just want to go visit the Ruins–“

Just as Missy’s hands lit up, however, the Knight leapt back, drawing her shield up to cover her body again.

“Agh! Stay back, vile Enchantress!! I can feel your evil magic! Your purpose is clear, just as I thought! But I will not fall again! Have at you!”

Before either could speak, the Knight charged. Mona threw herself flat on the ground, onto Missy, sinking them both into the snow. Mona felt the Knight skim by above them, the toe of her sabaton hitting her in the back of the head.

Ignoring the pain, Mona leapt up and dragged Missy with her.

“Please!” Missy spluttered, “S-stop! We’re not trying to hurt you! I’m sorry! I-I didn’t–“

“She won’t listen,” Mona shouted, harshly, glancing over at the Knight, who was preparing to dash at them again. 

So it was true. From her words, The Scarlet Sentry seemed to confirm that she had been The Enchantress’s host body. Mona could see why she would immediately be suspicious of anybody with green skin, and violent towards anyone who tried to perform magic on her, but Mona had no patience for this sort of scrimmage. 

Mona yanked Missy hard to the side as the Knight sped past again, moving at a deadly speed. Mona whirled wildly around to keep her eyes on their aggressor. Hitting her with anything would be nigh-impossible while she was carrying that shield, and Mona doubted she could even aim well enough in the first place. There was no hope of defeating her, and the Knight was unlikely to leave before she’d dealt with them. 

“Have to distract her,” Mona hissed, tensing as the Knight wound up for another dash.

Mona leapt once more out of the way, pushing Missy along in front of her, only this time she wasn’t quite as fast– the Knight’s shield clipped her arm and torso, sending her flying away from Missy in the snow. Missy let out a shriek as Mona was dragged away from her.  
Mona shuffled to her knees, knowing she wouldn’t be able to get out of the way this time. She craned her neck around to look at the oncoming foe, but was surprised by a sudden shout.

“Here!”

Turning back to Missy, she saw her lob something in her direction. Catching it, Mona found herself holding the smooth casing of one of her own bombs. She didn’t pause to wonder how on earth Missy had gotten one, she simply twisted the fuse and threw it as hard as she could behind her.

There was a loud GONG as the bomb connected with the Knight’s shield, and pink light lit the snow as Mona stumbled towards Missy. She grabbed the girl in her arms, stared hard at the black cliffs in the distance, then dove into a pirouette.

 

“A-are you alright?!”

Mona shook her head, dazedly. She was standing on uneven ground, and the world was wavering around her. It seemed her teleport had worked; the more she looked, the more she saw of black rubble and loose stones. The Ruins of Fate…

“I’m fine,” said Mona, shaking her head again and taking a few steps, “I think… we lost her. It’ll take her a while to get past the snow and the moat if she comes looking for us. All the same, we should really…”

Mona let out a little gasp and quickly felt in her robes. The dagger was in place, and hadn’t stuck itself into her side during the fight. That was good. But the ratsploder…

Pulling out the cage, Mona opened the tiny door and peered inside. Missy approached.

“I-I can’t tell if it’s dead or not,” Mona said, “Oh, blast–“

“Let me see,” Missy reached up, and Mona hesitantly handed her the case. Missy frowned at it for a few moments, before handing it back.

“I think it’s okay. I’m pretty good at sensing death, and it doesn’t feel like it. It’s close, though, so we should get going.”

Mona nodded, feeling relief wash over her, “Oh, thank the gods. Right. Let’s go.”

“So!!” cried Missy, immediately as they began to look for a good space to set up the ritual, “Did you see that?! Did you see me use magic?!”

“See you..?” Ah, that’s how she’d gotten the bomb, “Oh! Yes… And just in the nick of time, too.”

“Yeah, I know!! You needed help, and I remembered the bombs in the storage room, and I just got it!”

Missy was practically vibrating with excitement, her curls bobbing wildly around her face under her hood.

“Alright, don’t forget to breathe,” Mona sighed, before pursing her lips, “You… did a good job.”

And gotten her out of trouble a second time. If she made it three, Mona was going to have to really apply herself to teaching her magic in thanks.  
Mona let Missy babble on about how scary and exciting the encounter had just been as she searched for a flat space to chalk down the arcane symbols. She eventually located a serviceable enough space; a fairly flat piece of stone surrounded by larger chunks of oddly shaped rubble. Quickly approaching it, Mona unloaded her supplies and began preparing the ritual. 

“Alright, now, don’t squirm,” Mona muttered as she gently removed the ailing ratsploder from its tiny box, “…Not that you seem in a fit state to do so…” 

Gently tying the red string criss-cross around the ratsploder’s body, Mona set it down on its back on the stony slab below.

“Markings?” she called.

“All correct!” replied Missy.

“Coppers?”

“In place!”

“Red string?”

“Tied and binding.”

“Right… Here goes nothing.”

Mona unsheathed the silver dagger, raised it high over her head, and began to speak the incantation aloud. As she did so, the runes on the stone began to light up, and an immense feeling of pressure filled the area. When the spell was complete, Mona thrust the dagger down, precisely, severing the ratsploder’s spine instantly.   
The moment she completed the action, there was a deep thrum, and the red strings tightened of their own accord. All of the sudden, the ratsploder’s body broke apart, imploding in on itself as the string unravelled into a perfect circle. Within the threaded loop was a deep blackness with a faint flicker of light. Mona stared into it, eyes wide.

“That must be the entrance…” 

Shaking her head and regaining her focus, Mona conjured a sack and a very long length of rope. She tossed the sack over her shoulder, and tied the rope around her waist, tossing the end to Missy.

“Tie this to that pointed rock over there,” she said, pointing to the nearby object, “I’m going in.”

Missy scrambled to obey, and once Mona was sure all was ready, she braced herself, then stepped into the blackness.

 

It was like descending into a pool of water, only there was no liquid. Just a strange, heavy atmosphere. She was immediately shrouded in darkness and silence, with only a faint light in the distance, and her feet didn’t even seem to touch anything solid… This place was not meant to be traversed by the living. …Or the quasi-living, in her case.   
Nevertheless, she was able to move, and able to sense things. Smell things. The overpowering stench made her lips curl.

Mona began to waft towards it, and as she did so, the light became brighter. Eventually, she was surrounded by a bright orange glow, almost molten in appearance. Like the lava in the Lost City, the orangeness bubbled and seethed in dripping mounds, giving off a muted heat. The smell was almost suffocating now, but she didn’t exactly need to breath. Reaching towards it, Mona began to scoop it into her sack. She could feel the Brimstone pressing against her gloves and the material of her bag. Glaring, a crackle of blue magic met the orange and softened it.

‘You are coming with me,’ she thought, ‘I Know you. You won’t get away from me…’

The sack was only a quarter of the way full when Mona felt a presence in the dimness, just past the Brimstone. Squinting, Mona tried to pick out what she was sensing. A soul, perhaps? The ratsploder, come to chide her for taking its life?   
Suddenly, Mona noticed a face slowly rising from the orange before her. Recoiling reflectively, Mona pulled away, before forcing herself back into place.

‘No. I can’t let a mere ghost scare me.’

She’d dealt with Spectre Knight, after all. But even as she thought that, more faces appeared in the Brimstone. Mouths open wide in silent screams, blank eyes staring sightlessly, and then hands. Hands joined the faces, followed by torsos. Many of them. They melted into one another, limbs rolling over limbs, fingers grasping, a faint moaning beginning to break the silence. This time, Mona was unable to remain still.

“Get back,” she shouted, but her voice was swallowed by the dreamlike atmosphere.

She summoned a bomb into her hand, to fend them off. But after flinging it, it simply drifted slowly into the molten orange, disappearing into the nothingness. The writhing bodies took no notice at all. Mona backed up. It was probably time to retreat. Might as well salvage what she had…  
Turning back to her rope, she slung her sack over her shoulder and began following the length out. She could feel the mass of… souls? Were these souls? They were at her heels; she continued towards the faint red ring, which was now far above, fear gripping her lifeless body. 

‘Don’t be scared, Mona. You’re already dead…’

At last, Mona felt her face break the surface of the portal, and she scrambled out of it, gasping reflexively. The light was a little painful on her eyes, but they adjusted quickly, and she spotted Missy a few feet away, rushing towards her.

“Moany!”

Mona did her best to heave herself out of the gateway without letting go of her sack. She was home free! Maybe she didn’t have quite enough Brimstone for the potion, but she could always–  
Mona stumbled as something yanked her backwards. The sack was torn from her grip, and Mona turned after it.

“No!!”

A mass of indistinct faces and hands greeted her, all crying out in a voice like a high wind. Fingers hooked into her skirts, grabbing for her ankles and forearms. Mona pulled away as hard as she could. She heard Missy cry out in terror.  
Luckily, the girl wasn’t one to be stalled in a crisis; Mona felt a powerful yank around her waist as Missy pulled as hard as she could on the rope. Mona tried to kick the creature, but found her foot only passed through… So it could touch her, but she couldn’t touch it?  
Bracing instead against the stone, Mona pulled away, leaning into Missy’s force. A tug of war with the horrible creature. The farther Mona came out of the portal, the more creature she dragged up… A mass of limbs, twitching and jerking…

“What is it?!” Mona shouted.

“Wayward souls!” wailed Missy, “The magic contained in the Tower and the suffering it caused– all the people who died in vain here! They’re stuck here, twisted together in a horrible limbo!”

Mona shuddered and continued pulling, “How do we get rid of them?”

“Uhm–– Uhh––“

Suddenly, there was a faint snap. The force pulling on Mona let go, and she fell backwards, just falling short of Missy. The enormous clump of wayward souls came forwards as well, only slower. Luckily, the shock caused them to let go of Mona’s clothes and body. Scrambling away quickly, Mona pressed up against a piece of rubble near Missy, shuddering.

“W-what– T-the portal– It closed!”

“The string must have been broken in the struggle,” Missy fretted.

The creature was quickly getting its bearings. It shuffled around on its many legs, looking around frantically, before zeroing in on the pair of Enchantresses.

“Oh no,” whispered Missy, “It… i-it wants a body..!”

The creature moved, then, much faster than before, speeding directly at them. Mona lifted up her hands, but thoughts failed her; she didn’t know any spells to counteract it! Luckily, Missy had raised her hands too, and she did have a spell.

“Calm down!” Missy cried, and Mona felt a spring wind whip up around them. 

Missy’s mood magic was stronger than ever before, filling the area with faint green light. The monster fell back in confusion, hesitating. The damp, fragrant air pressed against Mona’s senses, and, fighting against her own intuition, she let it in. Calm overtook her, and her thoughts became clear. A passage from the occult book rose up from her memory.

‘If ever a creature from the other side should overwhelm thee, sprinkle about thee a halo of salt; no creature no longer of this earth may pass this barrier.’

The monster let out another howling shriek, breaking through the enchantment, but the momentary distraction was all Mona needed. Throwing her hands into the air one more time, she gave a monumental effort and summoned every last grain of salt she could think of. A ring of powdery white fell between them and the clump of wayward souls, causing it to shy back and screech. 

“I-it’s trapped!” cried Missy, as she saw it throw itself against the invisible wall, trying and failing to break through.

“Let’s… get out of here,” said Mona. She grabbed Missy without a second thought and disappeared in a flash of blue light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Probably one of the darker chapters, this one. Am I a terrible person for laughing whenever I reread the part about burning the Plantos to myself? Ah...  
> Anyway, thanks so much for the support, yet again! You guys are the best! I'll seeya next time... --TS


	9. The Throne

“W-what do we do?”

Back at the labs, Missy had set to pacing back and forth, fretting about the situation. There was now a huge, intangible monster trapped in the Ruins of Fate, tethered by the narrowest barrier. From her experience with occult matters, she seemed to know -or at least guess at- the horror it could unleash if it escaped.  
Mona conceded that it was definitely a danger. However, she had more pressing matters to attend to. 

“I lost the Brimstone,” Mona muttered, under her breath.

The wayward souls had pulled it back into the underworld. Without that third, crucial ingredient, work on the Serum Destructus would be stalled! And she couldn’t have that… she didn’t know how much time she had left, but she couldn’t waste any of it. 

Lifting her hand, she made an attempt to summon the bag of Brimstone to her. Of course, it didn’t work. Mona had a feeling that summoning things between worlds was not possible without some sort of gateway. And the portal was closed, trapping her Brimstone in, and the beast out…

“I couldn’t even touch it,” said Mona, finally, shaking her head, “Do you know anything about harming one of those things?”

Missy shook her head, “You can’t harm a soul… Dark magic can corrupt one, but souls are kind of indestructible…”

“Explains why it’s intangible,” Mona muttered, “But salt can keep it at bay?”

“Yes,” Missy tugged on her curls agitatedly, “It seems so! I don’t really know all the specifics, but I think that it’s been tainted by the dark magic of the Tower. Things like that can be trapped by salt and repelled by light… But the only way to really get rid of it is to send it back.”

“Hmm… We’d have to open another portal,” said Mona, thoughtfully, “But…”

But would they have the chance to do so? They’d risk being attacked by the creature, and they were powerless to stop it. Even if they could use light and salt to push it back, its intangibility would make corralling it extremely difficult. Its fury would surely have it coming at them from all sides, and Missy’s mood magic had only been able to subdue it for a moment…

“…Alright. For now, it’s contained,” said Mona, grimly, “That means it’s neutralized.” 

Missy winced, “But it’s still dangerous! If it manages to escape, it’ll try to take a body, and–“

“It won’t escape. Nobody goes near the Ruins of Fate. Nobody’s going to run into it. For now, it’s a non-issue…”

An annoying non-issue, of course; knowing that she could dredge up horrors like that meant that Mona couldn’t have another crack at gathering Brimstone. The risk was too high… Figuring out how to defeat the beast would be the best course of action, yet their lack of information on the occult would make it very difficult indeed…   
Often, when Mona came up against a difficult section of a larger formula, she would spend weeks perfecting it to get it right so that she could proceed with the project. In this case, however, she didn’t have weeks to work on a single problem.

“…We’ll just have to leave it, for now.”

“But–“ the anxiety in Missy’s voice reached a fever pitch, “But! We can’t just..!”

“What we can’t do is let ourselves get behind on the project,” said Mona, firmly, “The souls are trapped in the Ruins for now. We can study ways to send them back in the meantime. But right now, I think it’s time to start collecting the Essences…”

Yes. Essences, Mona knew much more about. She felt more comfortable focusing on them, for now. They would be difficult to obtain, it was true, but at least Mona knew where to start with them. Necromancy would have to be left to whatever free-time they had in-between…

Missy seemed like she wanted to argue the subject more, but gave a little sigh and shook her head, before perking up as usual, “Okay… Essences! Right… How are we getting those, again..?”

“There are eight individuals in The Valley who have the Essences we need,” said Mona, splaying her hands across her desk, “The ex-members of the Order of No Quarter, save my partner, and Shovel Knight. Since I can’t exactly fight them for their Essences, I plan on acquiring them through trade… Everyone can be bought at the right price. All we need to do is to figure out what that price is…”

Mona summoned a map of The Valley and tapped Pridemoor Keep, “King Knight resides here, just to the north. We can start with him. I’m sure there’s something he’ll want… everything’s been taken from him.”

Of course, Mona was sure that whatever King Knight wanted would not be legal to acquire… Perhaps paying him a visit and finding out exactly what he was willing to trade would give her a better idea of how to proceed. She wasn’t above cheating, lying, or stealing, so long as she could get away with it… even if she was technically supposed to be a hero, now. It was all going towards a good cause, wasn’t it? Destroying a monster far greater than the one she’d dredged up from the depths… Perhaps it had sensed her power. Perhaps it was seeking someone like the woman who had once ruled the place…

Shaking her head, Mona summoned her notebook and opened it to the page on Brimstone. 

‘Attempt failed; Brimstone unrecovered.’ she wrote, in large black letters, before drawing the area she’d abandoned from memory. Best to know exactly where it was, though she doubted finding it again would be too much trouble. Making herself little reminders could never hurt, though; it would be easier to teleport to the location if her memory was refreshed.

Placing a bookmark on the page, Mona shut it and banished it again. Then she stood up and brushed down her robes.

“I think you should rest, Missy,” she said, briskly, “You’ve had quite a day. I… appreciate all you’ve done for me.”

“Oh, but–“

“Magic is always performed better with a clear head. Go to bed, and we’ll practice summoning when you’ve refreshed yourself.”

Missy brightened at the suggestion and saluted, quickly, “O-okay! Sleep it is! I’ll be here bright-eyed and bushy-tailed before you know it!”

Mona gave a small sigh as she watched Missy rush off towards the barracks.

“Maybe I shouldn’t have mentioned magic,” she muttered, aloud, “Now she won’t be able to sleep at all…”

Turning back to the lab at large, Mona shut her eyes and conjured the occult books from their hiding place. She would have to give them another look-through for spells related to banishing souls. But for now, she wanted to focus on just how she managed to make them appear in the first place. Missy had saved her three times, now. She was really going to have to start taking being a mentor more seriously.

\- - -

The next day, Mona was confident that she had made the correct choice. After doing her best to relax, she reasoned that her justifications were firm; the creature was contained, and ways to banish it were easily studied between collecting Essences. It was just like creating the charcoal and treating the sal petrae at the same time. One simply had to know how to multitask.

Just as promised, Missy was up bright and early, bouncing her way over to Mona excitedly. Mona greeted her as un-wearily as she could manage, and beckoned her to one of the exit tunnels.

“Today, we’re going to take a walk up to Pridemoor Keep,” she said, “As we go, we’ll attempt to further your skills in summoning and banishment. Now that you’ve done it once, it ought to come more smoothly.”

Missy beamed, “Okay! And then we’re going to figure out what to barter for King Knight’s Essence, right?”

“Right,” said Mona, nodding, “Knowing him, it’ll probably be something shiny.”

 

The road to Pridemoor Keep was still lush and green. Though the Enchantress’s reign had been a brutal one, she hadn’t had to attack the lands surrounding Pridemoor, as her puppet king had already conquered the throne. Now that everything was back to normal, the locals were going about their business with a little extra spring in their step. Mona and Missy passed many farmhouses with livestock and vegetables, all being tended to with great care.

“Do you remember how you felt? When you summoned the bomb?” asked Mona.

“Sort of,” Missy answered, twiddling her fingers uncertainly, “It was kind of hectic back there…”

“Try to remember. That will be the key to success,” said Mona, “Enchantress magic, from my experience, has been all about… feelings.”

She wondered, privately, whether this was the reason she was so bad at it, before continuing, “Other magics are all about remembering certain steps. You must speak a specific spell, or make a certain hand movement, or even perform a type of ritual. But for us, it seems, it’s all about… sensing.” 

Missy nodded, “Okay! Uhh… Umm…”

She shut her eyes and screwed up her face in concentration, “Uhhh… Well… I was scared… and… it was cold… and that shield lady was about to attack you… I wanted to help… so I reached out, and–“

Missy raised her hand and grasped the air. Nothing happened.

“…Aw, beans.”

Mona couldn’t help but chuckle. She could relate to how utterly frustrating it was. 

“It’s… alright. I’ve found that feeling intense emotions also allows magic to flow more easily…” or flare out of control, even, “At the time, you must have been full of adrenaline.” 

“Yeah! Well that makes sense! That’s how I learned to calm people down!”

Mona tilted her head slightly, “Oh..?”

Missy nodded, “Yep! Back when I was a kid, me and Darcy used to live in an orphanage together– oh, Darcy’s the Troupple acolyte from The Village, of course! Anyway, the staff were all really mean, and they’d get really mad over even the tiniest things!”

Mona stiffened slightly. As much as she was interested in Missy’s unique mood magic, she had a bad feeling about where this was going.

“They’d always pick on Darcy ‘cause he was so timid, and me ‘cause I was green,” continued Missy, blithely, “They’d hit us with wooden paddles when we misbehaved, or just when they felt like it. I didn’t mind so much, for myself, but Darcy always cried and cried, and I minded that a lot. I wanted to protect him, but I couldn’t just beat up a big adult, you know? I didn’t know what to do! But one day, when Darcy was going to be punished again, I tried to defend him. I kept talking and talking… And the room got all cool and pleasant, and Mrs. Graves put down her paddle and sent us away!”

Missy smiled, “From then on I could stop them just by talking! They never noticed it was magic, I guess…” 

Mona sincerely doubted her non-functioning stomach could still tie itself into knots, yet, here she was. 

“I’m… sorry…” she muttered, feeling heat creep up her neck.

The story made her feel slightly queasy. How on earth could Missy speak so calmly about such a horrible ordeal?

“It’s okay!” replied Missy, still in her usual cheery tone, “It was a long time ago, you know? It’s over, and things are different, now.”

‘But doesn’t it still hurt?’ Mona wanted to ask, ‘It wasn’t fair at all– Aren’t you still angry?’

But she didn’t speak. She didn’t want to linger on the topic any longer. There was a short, uncomfortable silence.

“…Well, in any case, intense emotions tend to provoke magic,” Mona finally muttered, curtly.

“Okay! So maybe you can scare me again! That might help!” cried Missy.

“I don’t think I can scare you if you’re expecting it.”

“Aww, please try!”

Mona rolled her eyes, “Fine. But first, how much do you know about King Knight?”

“Hmm…” Missy frowned and wound a finger into one of her curls, “Well he’s big and gold! And very ambitious. He took over Pridemoor Keep even before he joined The Enchantress! But I never really talked to him. The Knights didn’t usually hang around our floor.”

“I see. Well, I haven’t met him directly either,” said Mona, calmly, “But my partner was in close contact with him during his time in The Order. His arrogance and foppery is not exaggerated.” 

“So maybe he’d like a big mirror? Or a new cape?” 

“Too paltry. He’ll probably insist on something ridiculous. Luckily, we alchemists can make gold out of trash.” 

“Really?”

“Really.”

“Wow! That’s– EEK!”

Missy jumped a foot in the air as a large gold coin bounced off her opposite shoulder, surprising her. Mona smirked and banished it before it hit the ground.

“There. I scared you.”

“O-oh!! W-well done! But… I didn’t summon anything…”

Mona sighed a rolled her eyes, “No. I didn’t think that would work, anyway.”

“Aw… Well, at least we tried!”

They fell into silence then, and continued along the road to Pridemoor keep. Missy continued to strain herself attempting to summon things, and Mona’s thoughts turned to the upcoming task.   
What might King Knight want in exchange for his Essence? Gold? Jewels? A real title? No more scrubbing the floors? No… if her luck was to be considered, King Knight would probably want the whole damned keep back. Mona could create alchemical gold and produce false jewels, she could tailor a fanciful new ensemble so long as she had a little reference, but engineering a coup on the king? It was simply a terrible idea. 

Mona was just thinking she might be able to convince the king that he might release King Knight from his punishment, when she heard Missy give a little cry. Turning to the girl, she saw her standing stiffly and looking quite surprised, holding the largest turnip Mona had ever seen. There was a shout from a little ways away, and Mona glanced up to see a farmer in a nearby garden turning back and forth, looking very confused.

“I-I-I did it!” cried Missy, holding up the turnip, “I summoned this!”

“Why did you summon that man’s turnip?” asked Mona, staring incredulously, “You’d better give it back.”

“Yes– But that’s why! I saw him having a hard time pulling it out, so I…” 

Missy held the turnip in both hands and glared at it. A moment later, it disappeared, accompanied by a shriek from the nearby farm. It seemed the farmer was completely unaware of the source of the magic turnip.

“Curious…” said Mona, softly, her eyes narrowing in thought. She felt as if there was some common thread between the two times Missy had managed to summon something, but at the moment, she couldn’t place her finger on it.

 

Missy seemed even brighter than usual as they made the last leg of their journey, twittering about her successful bout of magic. Mona did her best to nod and make affirmative grunts in response, while her mind strayed back to the task at hand. 

When the pair finally arrived at the great front gates of the keep, Mona noticed that King Knight’s golden gildings were being removed. The front gate was back to its usual pale stoniness, and the king’s griffoth banners were flying once again. As Mona and Missy approached the mote, a pair of guards came to meet them.

“Halt! Who goes there?”

Mona bowed, “Mona Mopes, alchemist of The Village, and my, er… protégé.”

The guards hesitated, glancing between them, “Oh! The assistant of the alchemist Sir Plague Knight?”

“Partner,” Mona corrected, testily, before regaining the usual over-polite tone she took with courtly personages, “I have urgent business inside the keep.”

“What business is this?” asked one of the guards.

Mona sighed. She knew she wouldn’t be able to get away with being so vague.

“Business regarding the Order of No Quarter,” she half-lied.

“The Order of No Quarter?!” cried the guard, “The Order has been disbanded!”

“Yes, I am aware of that,” said Mona, calmly, “But my partner believes certain members may be plotting to reinstate it in some form or another. I’m here to make sure that isn’t happening.”

The guards glanced at each other, before turning to shout to their men on the other side of the mote. In a few moments, the drawbridge began to lower, and soon Mona and Missy were being escorted into the keep by two knights.  
As they moved, they caught glimpses of Wizzems slowly stripping the gold off the walls, brick by brick. Mona wondered if they were the same ones that had decorated the halls that way in the first place.

“Sorry about the work,” said one of the knights, “But the king insists the gold be removed. It does not befit a ruler of his morals.”

‘And it probably reminds him of his defeat,’ Mona thought, ruefully, ‘Took him long enough to start taking it down, though…’

When at last they arrived at their destination, Mona faltered in confusion. They were in the throne room, alright, but the throne itself was bare and empty. Coming to receive them was a knight who stood out from his fellows. Mona’s heart sank. It was the captain of the royal guard, and the king’s right hand man, Tristan.   
Long ago when they’d first met, Tristan had been suspicious of her and Plague Knight, and his suspicions had only been exacerbated by their explosive antics. That dislike had never subsided, and Mona suspected that things were not going to be as easy as she’d hoped if she had to deal with him instead the king.

“Alas, I am confused,” she spoke up, “Where is the king? I must speak with him.”

“The king is away on royal business,” said Tristan, coming to stand before her. His tone of voice was faintly icy, confirming Mona’s fears, “I have been placed in charge in his absence. You may speak to me instead.” 

Mona forced her face to remain impassive, “…Very well. Good sir knight… I must be taken to King Knight’s cell immediately. My partner believes some foul plot may be afoot, and I have been sent to ascertain the truth of the situation, as well as prevent the outcome should it truly be underway.” 

Tristan knit his eyebrows, his expression darkening further, “A foul plot? Then certainly the king must be informed at once, and the traitorous Knight interrogated post-haste. Thank you for informing us, we…”

“No!” Mona winced, realizing she’d spoken a little too loudly. She smoothed her dress and recomposed herself, “No, my good… knight… I fear it is not so easily done. King Knight cannot simply be interrogated. The Order of No Quarter used many arcane tricks and seals to prevent them from revealing sensitive informations, or breaking their loyalties. Only my partner and I knew the alchemical antidotes to such things, which is what allowed the great Sir Plague Knight to betray the Order and destroy the Tower in the first place…”

Pretty good for a lie off the top of her head. Mona needed to speak to King Knight alone and unhindered, and an excuse such as this might just allow her to. To her pleasure, Tristan buckled, scowling intensely. 

“Drat. Then I suppose I must arrange an escort of my men to accompany you–“

“That would be ill-advised,” said Mona, “If any but myself and my protégé are present, I will not be able to break the seals on King Knight’s tongue.”

Tristan moved forwards, suddenly, approaching Mona menacingly. Or at least, it would be menacing if he was anywhere near as tall as she was. Missy, however, who had been silent up until now, stumbled back a pace and squeaked.

“How convenient. How do I know you aren’t lying, alchemist?” hissed Tristan.

Mona stared down at him, coldly.

“You doubt my partner? Hero of The Valley?”

Tristan gritted his teeth, “His motives have always been suspect. His loyalties have always been to himself and himself alone. The Tower fell only because he–!”

Triston stopped himself. Mona knew that voicing a direct accusation in a setting like this was grossly impolite. But she got the gist of his opinion anyway.

“…I have ample reason to suspect you,” Tristan finished, stepping back, “My duty is to protect this keep.”

“Then do your duty and give me what I ask,” said Mona, calmly, “Whether you trust me is of no consequence. I have informed you of a possible threat to the king, and to this keep. Preventing me from doing what I must to ascertain whether it is genuine is a direct dereliction of that duty.”

This time, Mona moved forwards, and the effect was much grander.

“What I’m saying is,” she said, softly, “If you muck up my work and the king pays for it, I don’t envy your chances.” 

There was a very long silence. Mona could feel the faint sensation of spring air from beside her, and knew Missy was most likely performing her mood magic. While Mona knew she had already won, she supposed making Tristan a little less likely to blow a gasket was a good thing. Finally, the captain gave in.

“Take her to that knave,” he muttered, grudgingly, “Let her do what she likes.”

He shot her a look, then, that told her that if she did anything untoward he would bring screaming hell down upon her and enjoy every minute of it. Mona simply bowed and allowed the other knights to escort her away.

 

King Knight’s cell, of course, was deep beneath the halls of the keep. The escort descended down many ladders and flights of stairs. As they moved onwards, the corridors became dingier, with fewer candle sconces along the walls. Eventually, they came to the very bowels of the keep, where the walls were moist and the air was heavy. Mona frowned at the grim surroundings, though she noticed that Missy seemed to be completely unbothered. What was this kid used to?

When they finally arrived at a locked iron door with a small slot built into it, the knight at the head of the procession approached and knocked on it, loudly.

“On your feet, in there! You’ve got a visitor!”

The rest of the escort moved into a protective formation, and the head unlocked the door with a brass key from a small ring at his hip. The moment the door opened, there was a flurry of movement. In a flash, a struggle broke out amongst the knights, which ended nearly as quickly as it had begun. Wriggling under the force of three guards was King Knight, who’d clearly tried to make an ill-advised break for it.

“Unhand me, you ruffians!” he cried, furiously.

“Every time,” sighed the guard at the front, “Would you just give it up, already?”

“Never!” shouted King Knight, “Release me at once!”

“Shut up. You’ve got a visitor,” grumbled the front guard, waving his fellows to toss King Knight back into his cell.

Mona and Missy were quickly shepherded inside, and the door slammed behind them with a loud thud.

“We’ll be back in half an hour,” came a muffled voice from outside, “We hope your business is done by then!”

“I’m sure it will be,” called Mona, before turning to Missy, “Keep watch by the door. Make sure they’re not spying. Open the slot to see out.”

“It doesn’t seem to open from the inside,” said Missy, as she went to the door.

“Then try banishing it,” said Mona, before turning back to King Knight, who was sitting as grandly as he could on the narrow bench that served as his bed.

The man’s once-shining golden armour was rather grimy, now, unable to be taken care of in these conditions. The greaves, sabatons and gauntlets seemed especially scuffed, and his cape was ratty and stained. His helmet looked rather bare without the crown that once sat upon it, and though Mona couldn’t see his face, she was sure he was glowering.

“Well?” he shot, waving his hand imperiously, “Out with it! Who are you? What are you doing here?”

Mona hesitated, before bowing low to King Knight. As little as Mona respected the man, she knew how he operated. He liked being toadied to. As a self-proclaimed king, he expected all those beneath him -which was everyone, in his opinion- to grovel before him in abject awe. Trying to brute-force him wouldn’t work. He didn’t consider her an equal. To get what she wanted, she had to play along to his rules… and make him think her plans were his all along.

“Your majesty,” said Mona, “I am but a lowly citizen of The Village. I have come here, regrettably, with great presumption… For I must beg of you a boon…”

King Knight bristled.

“A boon? A BOON?! Look around you, you peasant! I have nothing! They’ve taken everything from me, these usurpers! My kingdom, my crown, my– my chandeliers!!”

“Please, your majesty,” said Mona, still with her nose to the ground, “I have no intention of stealing what little you retain. I wish, instead, to offer you a trade for something you shall not miss.”

King Knight paused, “A trade..? Ha! Kings do not trade! That is a commoner’s game! A king takes all and reigns supreme! He doesn’t… stoop to… trades!!”

Mona wanted to point out that, in fact, most kings did trade with other kingdoms for the peace and prosperity of their lands. But she knew it would be royally pointless. 

“My liege,” Mona continued, smoothly, “I ask only for a paltry object. One that, as I said, you shall not miss. And in return… I will give you anything you desire.”

King Knight scoffed, “Oh? Anything I desire? And how do you hope to achieve this, wench?”

Mona tried not to grimace, “I may not look it, but I have many connections… And I… I am willing, nay, eager to go to great lengths to please your majesty.”

King Knight paused to consider, running a finger against the rim of his helmet. After a moment, he leaned forwards on his bench.

“Hm. It appears that you understand how to address and recognize your superiors. I may deign to agree to your… trade. But first, I must know what it is you ask of me,” he drew back, clutching himself, “I shan’t give up my armour!”

“Not your armour, my liege,” said Mona, shaking her head, “I would not dare to tarnish your kingly attire. No, I ask only for… a piece of your Essence.”

King Knight flinched in surprise, “My– My Essence?!”

He pointed at her, suddenly, shaking a gleaming finger inches from her nose, “PLAGUE KNIGHT! IS THAT YOU?! REMOVE YOUR DISGUISE AT ONCE, YOU FOUL CHARLATAN!”

“Your majesty, I assure you, I am not in disguise. I am exactly who I appear to be,” said Mona, as calmly as she could manage.

Of course he’d associate Essence collection with Plague Knight. Actually, Mona was surprised King Knight hadn’t recognized her earlier, since she was sure he’d seen her at her partner’s knighting ceremony. She supposed, however, that self-absorbed people such as himself rarely payed attention to such piddling details, but it was still a little amusing. He’d gotten there in the end, though, and now he was on his guard. Just so long as that didn’t cause him to refuse outright…

“You appear to be a suspicious woman in a ridiculous outfit! Why should I trust you?!” cried King Knight, folding his arms, “For all I know, you’re in league with that poultry-faced poltroon!! I shan’t let my Essence be diminished any further!!” 

Oh, damnation.

“Your majesty…” Mona gritted her teeth and tried to figure out a way to regain the man’s trust, “I… It… It is…”

Mona perked up, suddenly. King Knight suspected she was in league with Plague Knight… but he didn’t know it for certain. Somehow. 

“It is exactly the opposite,” she continued, with a new bravado, “I am staunchly against that pestilential pilferer.”

“What?!”

“I speak the truth,” lied Mona, bowing even deeper, so that she now rested on her knees, “I swear it. I may have worked with him in the past, but I have nothing but misery to show for it. I wish to obtain your Essence purely to spite that reckless rascal.”

King Knight hesitated, his tightly crossed arms relaxing, somewhat. 

“That fool stole your Essence in an attempt to obtain for himself a mere fraction of your glory,” Mona explained, “I, being your loyal subject of The Village, was scandalized by such a devious, craven act. But you see, he was unable to complete his plans. Your Essence escaped him before he could taint it with his vile potions, and in revenge he sought to topple your empire! And woe, despite my attempts to impede him, he succeeded…”

King Knight growled and clenched his shining fist, “That–– That––! Rrrr!!”

“I wish only to have some small revenge against the man that wronged you so, my liege… Which is why I came to you with my plan! I wish to taunt him with the Essence he could not keep. I, unlike he, am able to preserve Essences most pristinely… The sight of your shining glory will make him wild with envy!”

“Ha! Envious indeed! That little whelp could never hope to be as grand as I!” cried King Knight, perking up quite a bit and using his cape to polish his chest plate a little, “…Very well, then. It seems your intentions are noble… But I believe there is the matter of your half of the bargain?”

Mona nodded, “Yes, your majesty.”

“In return for my glorious Essence…” said King Knight, letting his cape fall and standing to his full height, “I want… my throne.”

Mona stayed perfectly still, listening.

“I won this kingdom fair and square, and now it has been unjustly taken from me! I want it back!! So, return to me my place on the throne, and I shall give you my Essence… I believe it’s more than fair.”

After a moment of silent deliberation, Mona bowed again and slowly rose to her feet, “As you wish, your majesty. I must away to begin preparations… But I shall return.”

“See that you do. You may go, now…”

Of course, Mona couldn’t leave until the guards returned, so there was a period of awkward silence as Mona stood facing the door, waiting to be let out. She could see Missy fidgeting slightly beside her, and hoped she’d keep her mouth shut until they left. The room was too small to hold a covert conversation. 

When the knights finally returned to release them, Mona strode out of the cell briskly.

“I must speak to Tristan at once,” she said, and the knights quickly ushered her back to the grouchy captain of the guard.

Tristan scowled through his visor as they approached, tapping his foot with a series of faint clangs.

“Well? What has your investigation yielded?” 

“Unfortunately, it seems King Knight’s seals are harder to break than anticipated,” replied Mona, “I believe it is imperative that we stay the night and prepare ourselves. I must perform a second attempt at midnight this evening.”

Tristan’s face, predictably, darkened.

“Stay? Midnight?!”

“Yes!” Missy cut in, nodding, “It’s very important! Midnight to four o’clock in the morning are the most auspicious times for casting!”

Mona nodded, quickly, “The procedure will be more effective, then, and we’ll be able to ascertain the truth of the situation properly. Then we will leave you in peace. You have my word.”

Tristan sighed deeply, looking disgruntled. After a few moments of hesitation, he shook his head and waved his hand to the other guards, turning away.

“Fine. Men, take them to a side chamber until it is time.”

The other knights saluted and formed another escort around the pair of guests to take them to their quarters. As they walked, Mona shot Missy a small smirk. They had one chance. But if her plan worked, it would be all they needed.

\- - - 

“Well? What do we do now? How’re we gonna do this, Moany?”

Sitting quietly on the floor of the side chamber, Mona and Missy watched the large clock set against the wall. For the last few hours or so, Mona had been instructing Missy to use her calming magic at regular intervals to lull the guards keeping watch over them. 

“It’s simple. But I’ll need your help,” muttered Mona, tugging faintly on the edges of her gloves, “Did you have much luck banishing the little slot-door in King Knight’s cell?”

“I did!” whispered Missy, excitedly, “I managed to send it away, eventually. Um… I’m not sure where it went.”

“Right. Well. That’s fine. At least you know you can do it. Let’s try that again, shall we? Try banishing… that chair. Banish it to the other side of the room.”

“O-okay!”

Missy hunched over, clenching her fists, and glared in deep concentration. Mona watched her, rather amused by the look on her face. There was a very long silence. Yet, just as it seemed Missy was unable to perform the spell, one of the chairs at the nearby table disappeared in a flash of green light, and reappeared next to the time piece with a faint thud. 

“I did it!” squealed Missy, excitedly, and Mona hissed to quieten her.

She could hear the guards shift outside, and waited until their movement subsided, then nodded. 

“Good. I’m going to need you to be my… back up, so to speak. Use that calm spell on the guards again, will you?”

Dutifully, Missy raised her hand, and a cloud of pale green seeped out towards the knights.

“When midnight strikes, you stay behind. If your magic works, properly, I ought to be able to easily excuse your absence. The second you think you can manage it, sneak out past them and make your way to the throne room. You do remember where that is, right?”

Missy nodded, “I remember! But why do I need to go there?”

“Well…” Mona splayed her fingers together, “In exchange for his Essence, King Knight wants the throne, does he not? All I need to do is summon it for him. Once I have the Essence, I’ll send it back, and we’ll be out of here before he can flip his shiny golden lid.”

“But… Erm, Moany? I don’t think he meant the throne-throne. I think what he wanted, actually, was–“

“I know. He wants everything back. The castle, the subjects, the CHANDELIERS,” Mona smirked, “But when he made that deal, he specifically said throne. It’s not my fault he used an idiom. He’ll get what he asked for.”

“But what if that doesn’t work..?”

“Then I’ll make it work. This is our last chance at an easy grab… Otherwise I’ll have to plan something more complicated, and I’d really like to avoid incurring any more of Tristan’s wrath…”

She couldn’t risk tarnishing Plague Knight’s new reputation. She had to get the Essence now…

“Anyway. Your job is to stay hidden, and take care of the guards by the throne room. Try to put them to sleep, or at least calm them down enough that they’ll be too out of it to suspect anything’s wrong. I’m going to summon the throne to King Knight’s cell. If you think any of the guards are going to go in and check… Banish this to me.”

Mona handed Missy an empty bomb casing she’d summoned earlier, “That way, I’ll know to send back the throne, and we won’t get caught. While I don’t think anyone will notice anything out of the ordinary, since magic doesn’t make much noise, there’s always a chance Tristan will be hovering around like an overgrown fairy…”

She sighed, “We just need to pull this off as stealthily as possible. Do you think you can do it..?”

“Yes!” said Missy, nodding hard, so that her curls bounced around her face wildly, “But first, I’ll need my old clothes!”

To Mona’s great surprise, Missy held out her hands and glared, fiercely. A second later, her old black cloak fluttered out of the air in a flash of green.

“It’s easier to stay hidden in black!” said Missy, tugging off her minion’s cloak and scrambling into the folds of her old clothes. 

Mona couldn’t help but smirk, appreciatively. As odd as Missy was, she was refreshingly clever. She definitely didn’t fit the minion robes she’d been given.  
Suddenly, there was a faint gonging sound from the clock at the wall. Twelve gongs. Midnight. Time to move. The sound of the guards outside told them they’d have to hurry.  
One more time, Missy raised her hand and sent another pulse of greenish mood-magic. Mona found that, when she was expecting it, she could resist its effects. Good thing the guards didn’t know.

“It’s time to go, Lady Mopes,” said the head guard, opening the door into the room and beckoning them out.

“Indeed,” said Mona, “Lead on, then.”

There was a breathless moment of uncertainty as Mona walked towards the door, and Missy remained by the table, motionless, clutching the empty bomb casing in her hand. But by the time Mona had exited and the door was shut behind her, she knew they wouldn’t ask about the two not leaving together. So far, so good… With any luck, they could actually pull this off. 

Once they arrived at the cell, Mona stood silently as the knights once again formed their phalanx around the door to prevent King Knight from making an escape attempt. He did, of course, once more. Yet this time, things were a little different. The knights seemed more sluggish, and appeared to be having a harder time keeping King Knight contained. Mona suddenly realized that they were still probably under the effects of Missy’s spell.

“Stay back, miss!” cried one of the knights, backing up to defend Mona as the others struggled against King Knight.

Anxiety crept up Mona’s throat as the skirmish continued. If King Knight managed to escape, he’d probably make a run for it– and then she’d never get his Essence. But just as Mona was considering taking matters into her own hands at the cost of ruining the plan, the four knights managed to cram King Knight back into his cell, and the fifth hastened Mona in after him.

With a loud thud, the door closed behind them. King Knight brushed down his cape idly, as if he hadn’t just been brawling, then went to sit grandly on his bench.

“So! My loyal subject… Have you come to bring me what I asked?”

“Yes, your majesty,” said Mona, slowly, bowing low, “I am ready to return to you your throne. Once you give me your Essence, I can–“

“Ho ho! I think not! I demand the throne first, and then you shall have your Essence.”

“…But my liege,” said Mona, “It would be much easier if you would bestow upon me your Essence, now, for I–“

“Which one of us is the King, here?” asked King Knight, contemptuously, “Have you forgotten your station? You must present your monarch with a gift before you receive anything! Now! Give me what I ask!”

Mona gritted her teeth. She hoped Missy was in place.   
Backing up, Mona raised her hand and snapped her fingers. The large, ornate throne appeared between them with a thud and a flash of blue, its back facing Mona. It filled a large portion of the cell, obstructing most of her view of the gilded goon. 

“Ah! My throne!” 

King Knight scrambled forwards and leapt onto the seat, settling in happily and grasping the armrests tightly.

“How lovely it is to sit upon you again, my love!” he cried.

“A touching reunion,” Mona quipped, quietly, before speaking up, “So, your majesty, may I now receive the boon you have promised me?”

“In a second,” grumbled King Knight, still seated with his back turned to her, “You are frightfully impatient! Hardly very becoming of a lowly peasant woman such as yourself! The gilt hasn’t even returned to the walls, for goodness sake!”

“Ah… you can hardly know that,” said Mona, hesitantly, “I’m sure it has…”

“Silence!” cried King Knight, “How dare you presume what I do and do not know! I had every inch of this place gilded, even the dungeons! Where are my golden walls?”

Mona grimaced, “Your majesty… I have delivered what you asked…”

“You haven’t!” cried King Knight.

“Well, yes…” continued Mona, slowly, “Because you specifically told me, and I quote… ‘Return to me my throne, and I shall give you my Essence’. I have fulfilled my end of the bargain. Now, I respectfully ask that you to fulfil yours.”

The sound of metal hitting wood rent the air as King Knight slammed his fist against the throne.

“You ignoramus!” he shrieked, throwing his head around the side of his ornate seat, “I meant my kingdom! ALL OF IT!!”

“M-my apologies, my lord, but you said–“

“Or perhaps you deliberately misunderstood me..?”

A shiver ran up Mona’s back. King Knight’s usual pompous boom had changed to a malevolent hiss. He knew. He knew exactly what she was up to. Mona backed up against the door.

“I’d stay put, if I were you,” she muttered, “You’ll have to break that throne to get past it to me. You wouldn’t want that, would you?”

“So quickly you change your tune, peon!” hissed King Knight, “Am I to believe you do not truly pledge your allegiance to me?”

From the way he was moving, he was clearly trying to get out from behind the throne. Luckily, it really was too big from him to squeeze past, especially in his armour. And Mona was by the door… but it was locked. Maybe she could just banish it off its hinges? But she needed his Essence..! She could always summon some bombs and beat it out of him. In this cramped a space, they’d be impossible to dodge, and she wouldn’t be required to throw them with any kind of accuracy. But then, she couldn’t risk damaging the throne… it needed to be in good condition when it was returned! If it was damaged, Tristan would definitely pick up on something going awry..! But if she banished it, King Knight would have a clear way to her, and–

And that didn’t matter anymore, suddenly, as a single, empty bomb case appeared in a flash of green light. Mona flinched. The signal. She had to send it back. Shutting her eyes, she banished the throne, and heard King Knight topple to the ground.

“You wretch! You think you can keep me from my kingdom?!”

Mona pressed her back against the wall, concentrated again, then banished it. The flat surface disappeared, and Mona fell backwards. She staggered a bit, then waved her hand to put it back in place.  
Looking back, Mona saw that the guards were no longer in their places. Had they left her alone as she’d requested? …A bad idea on her part now, it seemed. Or had they been called away? Had Missy been caught..?

Before Mona had any time to think about the disquieting implications, however, there was a creaking noise as the door opened in front of her.

“Wh– What the–?!”

King Knight strode out, confidently, twirling something shiny around his gleaming, upright pointing finger. 

“Ha! You fool.” 

The key. He’d gotten the key. In the skirmish, he must have grabbed it off the knight’s belt! And somehow they’d neglected to check the lock afterwards! Ugh! Missy’s mood magic really was a double-edged sword!

“Now– Die!”

Moments later, King Knight was barrelling towards Mona. She barely had time to throw herself out of the way before the Knight slammed into the wall with a loud clang, sending a shockwave across the bricks. Mona scrambled across the floor, eyes wide. She supposed she wasn’t completely shocked that he would straight up attack her. Capitol K Knights weren’t exactly bound by chivalry. 

“Stop this!” she shouted, backing down the corridor, “Come to your senses!”

“I have!” responded King Knight, readying another charge, “I should never have trusted a snivelling serf such as yourself!”

Another dash. Mona did her best to avoid it, launching herself to the side before the gold-clad Knight could hit her. This time, he didn’t have a wall to hit, so there was no earth-shattering crash. Mona prayed, either way, that they were inaudible down here in the dungeons. 

“You do not understand, your majesty,” she cried, backing slowly away, “I was not trying to deceive you!”

She had to say something, anything to get him to calm down. But it seemed King Knight was done talking. He was backing up himself, now, and Mona watched in confusion. Was he going to make another dash? But before she could do anything, King Knight instead leapt high into the air and then fell to earth like a meteor, sending a violent shockwave across the stone floor.  
Mona, unfortunately, was caught in it, and found herself stumbling to her knees. Dulled pain radiated up her body, causing her to feel sluggish and stiff. She couldn’t move her limbs like she wanted to..!

Footsteps told her King Knight was coming closer. Mona forced her neck to crane upwards to look at him.

“And now, I shall take back my kingdom…” boomed the victorious Knight, striding past Mona, grandly, “…and recover what is truly mine!”

“No..!” Mona struggled against the lasting effects of the attack, clawing feebly for King Knight’s cape, “No, you can’t!”

“Ha! Continue to mewl, wench; you cannot stop me.”

“N-no, you don’t understand… You… you…” Mona staggered up, “You can’t take it back, because–– Because you never lost it in the first place!”

There was a resounding silence. Mona finally managed to brace herself against the wall and climb back into a standing position. The paralyzation was finally ebbing, now.

“What? What buffoonish balderdash is this?!” cried King Knight, rounding on her.

Alright. Last chance. She had one more lie, and she really, really had to sell it.

“Your majesty… I was sworn to secrecy. Unable to tell you the truth. But now that my plans have gone so far awry, I am forced to break my oath… May the kingdom have mercy on me..!” 

“What are you on about?!” the Knight spat, “Spit it out, woman!”

Mona tried not to break character and snap at him, but she kept her face lowered, “All this time… You have believed that your kingdom was taken from you… But this is the farthest thing from the truth! Every single last person in this castle is, and always has been loyal to you!”

King Knight laughed, scornfully, “Loyal to me?! And I suppose throwing me in a dingy dungeon was their way of expressing this? HMM?”

“That is correct,” said Mona, “Don’t you see? You haven’t been punished– They are– WE are trying to protect you!”

“What?!”

Mona hobbled towards him, hesitantly, “My liege… When the Order fell… All of Pridemoor feared for your safety. When those villains, Shovel Knight and Plague Knight defeated The Enchantress, every one of us was terrified that your head would be next on the chopping block!”

King Knight scoffed again, but it was softer this time. It seemed he was listening. Mona continued, quickly.

“We knew that your name had been slandered beyond salvation outside these walls… Knew that, if you continued to visibly rule, countless enemies would be upon you! So we all devised a clever plan… Reinstate the old king, remove your gildings, proclaim to the outside world that the ‘usurper’ had been dethroned… and nobody would ever try to bother you again!”

“But– But–“ King Knight threw out his hands, “You people made me scrub the floors!”

“Yes…” Mona stalled a moment by pretending to wipe away a tear, trying to come up with an excuse, “We… W-we ah, we wanted… you to have some measure of control over your kingdom! Yes! E-even while we kept you so well hidden. It pained us to think of you shut up– er, ensconced in that cell, unable to do anything for the realm you so justly and greatly ruled… So, yet again, we devised a clever way to allow you to care for your kingdom without raising suspicion!”

King Knight was silent, now. Mona decided to drive it home. She fell to her knees, prostrating herself before him. 

“Oh, my king! Do you not understand?! All of this… it was all for you! But we had to keep it a secret, and… ah… In my folly… In my thirst to avenge you… I was forced to reveal the truth, thus putting you in danger..! Oh, forgive me, my good king! Pardon me! Have mercy!!”

There was a long silence. Mona stayed with her nose pressed flat to the floor, eyes squeezed shut. Would he believe her? If he didn’t, she was in the prime position to have her skull cracked messily all over the floor… She wondered, vaguely, what would happen if her head was demolished, what with being dead anyway. Would she wander around like a headless boneclang? …Only a lot messier?  
Suddenly, Mona felt something poke her shoulder, causing her to flinch. Glancing gingerly over, she saw the brass key prodding her. King Knight drew back, looking as haughty as usual.

“Hmph. I should have known! Of course you’re all still loyal to me!” he placed a hand upon his breastplate, “Who could turn so quickly on the rightful ruler of this land? Ha! Rise, my subject. In my infinite wisdom and clemency, I have decided to pardon you.”

Mona shuddered upright.

“Oh! Your majesty! Thank you, thank you–“

“Now, enough talk! I believe you had some plans for that blast-happy boor?”

Mona had to quickly shut her gaping jaw. Perfect! He swallowed the whole thing! 

Mona bowed again and nodded, enthusiastically, “Yes, your majesty! I shall make him green with envy! …Er, greener, I suppose. But first– Allow me to properly apologize for my blunder…”

Mona snapped her fingers, summoning some cleaning supplies into her hands. She presented them humbly to King Knight, who cocked his head.

“More cleaning?! What do you–”

“A gift, your majesty,” interrupted Mona, “I am sure you understand that, for our protections to work, you must never mention this encounter to any of the castle staff, and stay in your cell– er– your chambers, yes?”

“Yes, yes, I understand,” grumbled King Knight, “But I must say, your plan is most inconvenient! I’m sure I could think of at least a dozen ways to improve on it!”

“Verily, my liege. But in the meantime, I offer you these… to care for your armour and cape so that you may shine with glory as you once did. It would bring a great joy to your loyal subjects to see you so, again…”

King Knight snatched up the polishes and solutions Mona had summoned, and quickly put them into his cell. It seemed that this was a kind of scrubbing that he didn’t mind at all.

“Very well! Now! My Essence. I don’t know how to bestow it upon you…”

“Do not worry, your majesty,” Mona held out her hands, tentatively, “I can remove it painlessly with my magics.”

“D-do well to remember your station!” cried King Knight, apprehensively, tripping back a little, “O-only a little bit, now! Only a fraction!”

“Of course, your majesty. Now, please, stand still…”

Kneeling down, Mona summoned a piece of chalk and began drawing an alchemical circle around King Knight. He shuffled a bit inside of it, looking down uncertainly.

“What is this?”

“Merely some magical runes, my liege,” lied Mona, calmly, “To aid in my spell. Stay still, now… You must not exit the circle until the ritual is completed…”

Once she was finished, Mona stood up and reached out again. Concentrating, she felt through the strange, invisible world of magic, and wrapped her fingers around the little root of Selfness inside King Knight. Then, she began to pull.   
Slowly, ever so slowly, she felt a strand come loose, until it was moving smoothly through the aether, breaking into the physical world with a faint blue glow. The light emerged slowly from King Knight’s chest, gleaming blue-white, before forming into a proper sphere and coming free at last. With a soft crash, the blue shell broke away, and King Knight’s rich red and gold Essence was finally in Mona’s hands.   
King Knight staggered back, but righted himself quickly, looking on at the whirling orb.

“Glorious!” he cried, “An Essence befitting a king such as I!”

“Yes…” Mona muttered, summoning the Portable Decanter into her hand and carefully feeding the Essence into it, “…Beautiful… Now…”

She tucked the decanter into her robes and bowed one last time, “With great regret, I believe it is time we parted, my king…”

\- - -

“…So?! Did we do it? Did you get the Essence?!”

The next morning found Mona and Missy leaving Pridemoor Keep, and returning to The Village.   
After making sure King Knight went back into his cell and locking it behind him, Mona had staggered back up to the guards and informed them that her work was done. Tristan, of course, had been his usual doubtful self, but Mona had assured him that she’d quelled any interest in rebellion from the incarcerated Knight. Tristan even seemed to believe her, when he returned from checking on the prisoner with a look of surprise on his helmeted face.

‘He seems… quite docile for once, in fact…’

After finding Missy and spending the rest of the night, the pair had been allowed to leave, even acquiring a reluctant thank-you from the grouchy captain of the guard for their trouble. But Mona didn’t care about that. All she cared about was her prize.

“Yes! Here,” Mona showed Missy the Portable Decanter, and its glowing contents.

“Ooh! Pretty! So that’s what an Essence looks like?”

“It’s what King Knight’s Essence looks like. In any case, that’s one down! …And seven… eight to go…”

Mona tucked the decanter away and heaved a deep sigh. It hadn’t been a picnic, but it was progress, at least. Their next stop, of course, was the Lich Yard, and… ah. That reminded her. She needed to research more necromancy… She still had to clear out the wayward souls and get her Brimstone…

“Wow! So I guess he just wanted his big chair after all…”

“Huh?” Mona was shaken out of her thoughts by Missy.

“King Knight! You got the Essence, so he must have just wanted his throne back after all, and not the whole kingdom! Haha! Isn’t that lucky? I can’t imagine how tough it would have been, otherwise! I hope I didn’t compromise you by making you send it back… I just noticed Sir Tristan going into the throne room, so I–“

Mona shuddered and quickly cut her off, “Missy! You did a wonderful job! Thank you so much, you are very helpful! Now let’s just… go home.”

And before Missy could speak any further, Mona hoisted her into her arms and took three, graceful steps, disappearing in a flash of blue light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, we're getting somewhere! I've been sick this week so writing's been slow, but I'm on the road to recovery, so I think things are going to speed up again! Thanks again for all your support!   
> I actually wanted to touch specifically on one particular comment by Boopdaboop on chapter eight. You bring up a lot of good points, B! You've definitely managed to spot a thread that will be very relevant later on! So stay tuned... Thanks again, and seeya next time! --TS


	10. The Reunion

Upon returning to the lab, Mona made a few quick excuses to get Missy out of her hair, then hastened to the Dynamo Decanter. Staring up at its green-glass depths, Mona heaved a sigh and summoned her lever. She would need to be very careful about using the Decanter, now. If anyone caught the same nine Essences being collected, they’d surely suspect what she was up to. Maybe not all of what she was up to, but a good portion at least. Mona didn’t want that. And so, once she’d fed King Knight’s Essence into the machine, she conjured the old tarps and let them settle onto the Decanter once again.

“I’m sorry,” she murmured, placing a hand against the hidden tank, “I don’t… I didn’t…” 

Mona let her hand fall, and she sagged. She had eight Essences and a sack of Brimstone left to live. …No. She had until her sanity gave out. She had to remember that. She was doing this to protect other people from her eventual spiral into tyranthood.   
It was still such a heavy thought, though. Covering up the Decanter made her remember that it would most likely be blown to smithereens when she used the Serum Destructus to destroy her mysterious soul object. After all, her secret room was right behind it…  
Despite feeling as if a lump should be in her throat, Mona did not feel one. Maybe her body could no longer produce such reactions, being dead, and all. Or maybe this was simply part of the process of losing her emotions, one by one? Then why did she still feel so ungodly heavy..?

Mona shook her head, vigorously. No. She couldn’t dwell like this. It was a good thing that she’d gotten King Knight’s Essence – It was progress! Even if she’d had to beg and grovel like a sycophant to get it. Mona shuddered, finally feeling the emotional strain of her actions. She suddenly felt dirty all over. A bath… yes… a bath would do.

Making her way to her room, Mona quietly slipped into her hidden bathroom and turned on the taps. As water gushed into the tub, she undressed and climbed in, taking a moment to inspect herself.   
For a dead person, she didn’t look too awful. None of her flesh seemed to be rotting off her bones, and other than her horrifically scarred left arm, everything else seemed to be its usual colouration and shape.   
Mona turned off the tap and sunk low into the water, blowing bubbles just under the surface. Her lungs could still take in air, and expel it… but then, Mona found she could simply cut off the supply and experience no adverse effects. She didn’t need air anymore. 

‘Ha. In any other situation, you’d be over the moon with such an advantage,’ she thought to herself. 

After all, not needing air would be quite useful in certain situations. For example, experiments involving noxious fumes would no longer have to be performed in well-ventilated areas, because, without breath, she simply wouldn’t risk breathing in any harmful chemicals. Not that they would affect her anymore anyway, probably…  
With a deep sigh, Mona did her best to clean off the accumulated grime of the every day, as well as the unsettling feeling of dealing with King Knight. Once she was clean and dry, Mona put on her slip and sent her lab clothes off to be cleaned. Now would be a good time to study ways of banishing wayward souls… 

Settling onto her mattress and summoning the occult books, Mona set herself to poring over them for the next few hours. Unfortunately, things did not go as smoothly as she had hoped. Though the books did contain some information on otherworldly things, such as their weakness to salt and pure light, it did not offer any information about banishment rituals. 

“Urgh. Of course. Nothing is ever easy,” Mona grumbled, tossing the book she’d just finished reading down on her bed and rolling over, heavily.

She scowled up at the ceiling and simmered. Mona loved riddles and puzzles, but not missing information when she was in dire need of it! These compilations of useless paper meant that they’d have to track down more books on the occult, and as Missy had said, they were terribly rare..! 

In a sudden burst of frustrated energy, Mona sat up and got to her feet. Another roadblock meant she had to work on other things all the faster. They would head for the Lich Yard tomorrow and find Spectre Knight. She didn’t know what it would take to get his Essence, but at least he wouldn’t make her grovel for it. …Probably. 

Mona banished a note down to the laundry to have them bring her clothing to her lab as fast as possible once they were done with it, then summoned her sewing things. She needed something to work out her frustration on, and only having a collective two articles of clothing was starting to wear on her nerves.   
For the next little while, Mona threw herself into stitching together a new gown out of burgundy material. Long sleeves, hood, trailing skirts, just like her other one. And once she finished it, she would have to put it through a gauntlet of alchemical protections and processes to make it properly protective. Not that it mattered anymore, did it…

She was so engrossed in finishing her second gown that she completely lost track of time, and when she finally left her room to see if her clothing was cleaned, she found them in an awkwardly folded heap on her desk in the lab. Nobody was about. Mona changed quickly and used her Lifts to head up into the bar to check the time. To her surprise, the room outside hers was black and silent when she banished her secret door, telling her that it was quite late indeed. Fine… no problems there. She was merely a few hours closer to her trip to the Lich Yard. Returning to her lab, Mona spent the rest of the evening trying to guess -and thus prepare for- what Spectre Knight might demand in exchange for a piece of his Self…

 

“Good morning, Moany!”

Mona shook herself out of her stupor and looked up to see Missy trundling towards her, all smiles as usual.

“Hi, Missy,” Mona replied, flatly, “We’re going to the Lich Yard today.”

“Oh! Who’s Essence are we looking for?”

“Spectre Knight’s.”

To Mona’s bemusement, Missy’s expression changed to a look of surprise.

“Specty? We’re going to visit Specty?!”

Specty..?! What was Missy’s obsession with giving people these nicknames? Then again, Mona knew that Missy had worked under The Enchantress, and Spectre Knight had been The Enchantress’s right hand man. Perhaps she had known him better than the other Knights?

“Erm, yes. We’re going to visit… him. Do you… I mean, did you know him… well?”

“Oh, yes! I used to help Specty all the time when he was looking for the other Knights!”

Mona blinked, “What?”

“Yep! The Enchantress put me to work summoning wisps for him to keep him in tip top shape! I guess that’s what She wanted me for in the first place… Oh well! I’m glad that… Er, Moany? What’s the matter?”

Mona realized her expression had gone very nasty indeed, and tried to cover it up. But she couldn’t help but feel a flare of anger at this news. She usually quelled her feelings about Spectre Knight- after all, whenever she was in his presence, she was almost always trying to wheedle information out of him. Her final attendance at his going-away party was simply to keep up appearances and prevent any bad blood from breaking out. Yet… she could never forget that it was he who had thrust them all into the shadows. He who had stormed the Explodatorium, cut through a dozen minions, and nearly… nearly slashed her darling partner to ribbons… forced him under the thumb of The Enchantress, and tarnished his reputation forever…  
It made her stagnant blood boil. And now, knowing that her temporary protégé had been there to help him? 

“…Let’s just go,” Mona said, standing up sharply and heading for the exit tunnels. She heard Missy scamper after her, and clenched her fists.

 

The walk to the Lich Yard was a very quiet one. Mona continued to brood over the new revelation, trying to calm herself down. Yet even as she tried to rationalize, her grudge still festered.

“So! What do you think Specty will want for his Essence?” asked Missy, trying to draw Mona into conversation.

Mona gave an indifferent shrug, keeping her eyes on the road in front of her. 

“Um, well, maybe he’ll want a… a nice vacation, somewhere!” said Missy, undaunted, “I wonder what he’s still doing here, anyway? I thought he left a long time ago…”

Mona continued to ignore Missy’s words, relentlessly moving forwards at a brisk pace. She could tell Missy was having a little trouble keeping up, but she didn’t care.

“Oh! I know, maybe–“

“We’ll find out when we get there,” Mona snapped, “Just focus on that.”

Missy promptly fell silent, and the rest of their journey was filled only with the sounds of their footsteps on the turf.

 

When they arrived at the murky lake surrounding the Lich Yard, Mona payed a boatman to ferry them across. Mona kept her eyes on the dark water, her mind lost in thoughts just as dim. She didn’t want to trade Spectre Knight for his Essence. She wanted to beat it out of him. Wanted him to suffer, as her partner had suffered.  
She wasn’t sure why she was feeling so angry about this, after having been apathetic for so long. But perhaps… perhaps it was being reminded of what Spectre Knight had done to Plague Knight, and why. She felt so isolated from her partner, these days. She hadn’t seen him in quite a while, and it didn’t feel like a normal, every day absence. No… she was cut off. Separated. Growing farther and farther as the moments passed. For there was no way back to him, was there? Only death, or to take the place of the woman who had commanded his enslavement. She was angry at Spectre Knight now because she saw him as an extension of that woman. An extension that remained, even now that she was gone. Mona didn’t want to be anywhere near that miasmic presence, especially now… in case it spurred on her destiny.

When the boat finally reached the village, Mona stepped out and began to walk purposefully into the street… until she stumbled to a halt and cursed.

“W-what’s wrong?” squeaked Missy, anxiously.

“…I… I forgot..! He’s left!”

Oh! How could she have been so stupid?! She’d attended his godforsaken going-away party, for goodness sake! How could she have forgotten that Spectre Knight had fled the Lich Yard?  
Resisting the urge to hit something, Mona ran a hand shakily through her hair. Great. Today was just doing wonders for her mood. At least her stomach wasn’t capable of forming ulcers anymore…

“Um, is Specty not here, then..?” asked Missy.

“…No. He left the Lich Yard. When The Enchantress fell, his dominion over it was rendered null… He probably wanted to get out before someone tried to double-kill him.”

Mona sighed and slowly turned to look at Missy. As she did so, she noticed, to her surprise, a look of consternation coming over the girl’s face.

“Wh… His dominion? What do you mean?”

“He served the Enchantress here, as one of her Knights. …I thought you knew that?”

Missy’s expression grew even more dismayed.

“B– But––“ She fell silent again, eyes darting, then she shook her head, “If he’s not here anymore, I think I know how we can find him.”

Mona blinked, “What? How?”

“I know somebody who might know where he is! Come on!!”

It seemed Missy was now very eager to see her old friend. She rushed ahead of Mona, who could only jog after her, bewildered. From the way Missy was acting, it seemed she hadn’t known about the razing of the Lich Yard. Yet, how was that possible? She’d helped Spectre Knight recruit the Knights– she’d said so herself. How could she not know what The Enchantress had bade him do..?

Missy’s route through the city was a winding one. It seemed she was trying to find something on half-remembered directions. As they wended their way through the streets, Mona got a good look at the Yard; things were definitely more lively, now. The avenues seemed brighter, and the buildings were definitely inhabited once more by the living. But even the crypts integrated into the townscape seemed more well-cared for and -as morbid as it sounded- even inviting. 

Eventually, Missy’s steps began to slow, and Mona caught sight of what seemed to be their destination. It was a simple, well-kept wooden building with a brown picket fence, situated at the very end of a street surrounded by marshlands and mausoleums. As they approached, Mona noticed that the large front window was open, and there were voices coming from inside… One of which she recognized.

“Wait!” 

Mona flung out her hand to prevent Missy from knocking at the door, and pressed a finger to her lips. She sidled to the window, keeping her back to the wall, and strained her ears to hear the conversation going on inside. Missy followed suit, eyes wide.

“…afraid we still cannot find it. But I promise you, we are scouring every inch of the land. My Scarlet is on the trail as we speak. Please, be patient. You know I would not let you down, after all you have done for us.”

“Very well… I apologize for my insistence. I do trust you, Red. It is merely that I…”

There was a deep sigh. It was one Mona had heard a few times herself. Spectre Knight tended to voice his moodiness through exhalation. The second, unfamiliar interlocutor spoke next.

“I know it means a lot to you, my friend. You told me…”

“No, it isn’t just that. I seek its return because I believe that, perhaps… Perhaps it may hold some clue to my current predicament. The key to my continued existence!”

“Your existence? What do you mean?”

“Red… My life was taken from me many years ago. I clung to this putrid body only through Her interference. Yet, even now that She is dead and gone… I remain. I fester inside these bones with no hope of escape! I believed, once She left this earth, that I would follow. That I would finally be able to rest… but it seems I was wrong.”

Spectre Knight let out a hiss, “Is it some divine retribution? Punishment for my mistake… my sins! Cursed to remain here, where old ghosts still haunt me. Unable to make amends, unable to forget! Am I doomed to suffer here, for eternity, unknowing of what cruel magic binds me?!”

Mona couldn’t help but feel he was being a little melodramatic. But a sudden whimper from beside her made her glance down and flinch in shock. Missy was standing stiffly, clutching the folds of her robes and sobbing. Great, glimmering tears ran down her cheeks, pooling at her chin and falling softly to the ground below.

“Missy?” Mona hissed, bending down slightly to get a better look at her, “Missy, what’s wrong?”

Before Mona could do anything, Missy unfroze and bolted for the door. She threw it open -had it been unlocked? Or had she willed it out of the way?- and disappeared inside.  
Mona hastened after her, apprehensively. She wasn’t exactly afraid of Spectre Knight; he trusted her, and thought of her as a friend. She hadn’t revealed her true nature to him yet, and didn’t plan on doing so, if she could help it. But the subject of Essences would surely be a delicate one either way, and seeing as the ghostly Knight was already in a bad mood…  
And then, what was wrong with Missy? Mona’s best guess was that she felt sorrow for her old friend’s plight… but Mona hoped she wouldn’t ruin her chance of obtaining what she was after…

When Mona caught up with Missy, she found herself inside a pleasant looking sitting-room. It was filled with eclectic, antique furniture, and the walls were decorated with strange-looking weapons and artifacts. The floors were covered by elaborately woven carpets, and several vases of marigolds added bright sprays of yellow and orange to the otherwise mostly darkly coloured interior. Missy was standing in the middle of the room, having thrown herself into Spectre Knight’s arms. The apparition looked quite unsure of what to do, and his crimson-skulled companion seemed to feel the same.

“I’m sorry– I’m so sorry!” wailed Missy, her forehead pressed against Spectre Knight’s breastplate, “It’s my fault! It’s all my fault!”

“What… Missy? What are you doing here?”

“I d-didn’t mean to, Specty, I j-just wanted you to be safe!”

It seemed she wasn’t listening to him. She drew back and looked up at him, tremulously. 

“I was worried about you when you went to fight the Knights… I was s-so scared you weren’t going to come back one day! So I s-started making wishes on the wisps… T-telling them to make sure you n-never fell in battle! I d-didn’t– I didn’t know it would really work! I-I-I didn’t know you– you wanted to–“

She broke down again, covering her face. Spectre Knight remained completely stunned. 

“Missy– Missita…” the red boneclang approached her and placed a skeletal hand on her shoulder, “My dear! Please calm down. You meant no harm…”

Missy turned and hugged him instead, sniffling. He patted her gently, making soft hushing noises.

“There there, it’s alright–“

“I do not understand,” Spectre Knight finally spoke, pressing a hand to his helmet, “Why… Why would you… Did SHE put you up to it?!”

Missy turned back to him and shook her head vehemently.

“No! I did it because I wanted you to be safe!”

“Safe? Safe?! My safety– My success meant suffering and death for the entire Valley! And I know that none of you wanted that… Why else would you have fled the Tower?!”

“But don’t you see? Specty… Without you, we could never have run!” Missy stared, shaking her head incredulously at the spectral Knight, “Don’t… Don’t you understand what you meant to us?”

Spectre Knight looked to the red boneclang for help. The undead looked back, nodding solemnly. 

“She speaks the truth, Spectre Knight. I believe that there were few who truly agreed with The Enchantress’s plans. Few who would have participated in her wicked rise to power, yet… She was a cunning and merciless manipulator.”

Despite his face being a featureless skull, there seemed to be a grave fire burning behind his eye sockets.

“She used our own aspirations to bind us to Her, unable to escape, even if we wanted to… I myself came to Her in search of my lost Scarlet. She allowed me to explore the Tower, in return for my expertise in finding Curios. I toiled so long in the depths, bringing Her prize after prize, unearthing skull after skull… Yet I never found my Scarlet. And by the time I realize She would never help me, Her enchantment had already bound me to the Tower.”

“It’s true, Specty,” murmured Missy, “We didn’t want to help Her. But Her magic was so strong we couldn’t fight back. But then– Then that’s what made you different!”

“Yes!” continued the boneclang, “Though She claimed you were her Knight, you still resisted Her! You schemed and plotted against Her, even as She exerted Her power over you. Somehow, She was never able to break your will!”

“A-and you were so good to us,” said Missy, clasping her hands, “You always treated Darcy with kindness and respect… You gave Manny and Legion your treasure, so they could grow strong… You helped Red find Scarlet! And you always had a kind word for me. You didn’t need to do any of that, but, still… When you began your quest, we… we started to hope again! If you could resist Her– Maybe we could, too!!” 

“And we did!” cried the boneclang, “We took courage from your bravery and resolve, and on that fated night, we were all able to break the curse! We escaped that wretched Tower and found our freedom!”

“Specty… We’re all in your debt!”

Spectre Knight seemed to be struck dumb by all of this.

“I… I did not know…”

“A-and that’s why… Oh, Specty! I never meant to cause you such torment!!”

Mona remained unnoticed in the doorway, wishing she could melt into the floorboards. Watching this felt very wrong indeed. It seemed… private. Something she shouldn’t be present for. And yet… Knowing all this suddenly put Spectre Knight in a new light for her.  
She’d always thought of him as a surly henchman of the Enchantress– a moody brute who did her bidding without question, and revelled in the subjugation of his quarry. Yet, like everyone else, it seemed he too had been forced into her employ. At the cost of his life, even, if he was to be believed. Perhaps his consistently lugubrious demeanour had not simply been a quirk of his personality, but a direct result of his horrible fate… And Plague Knight had said that his Essence was that of Bitterness.

Mona felt guilt creep up her neck. All this time, she’d judged him, when he’d been just as miserable and trapped as everyone else. How could she not have realized it sooner..?

‘I really am a horrible person…’ she thought, eyes downcast.

But she was going to make amends. By taking his Essence, she would be able to prevent this tragedy from ever happening again. And, when the Serum Destructus was finished, perhaps she could even offer him the relief he sought? She could definitely feel it now; the freezing aura she had once sensed in him had given way to the sensation of fresh spring air. Missy’s magic was flowing through him, but the Ultimate Bomb would surely make quick work of that.  
Oh well. No time to wallow in depression. She had to build the damn thing first!

“Ehem.”

The group startled and looked up, Spectre Knight hissing in surprise.

“You..?!”

“Hi,” Mona waved, awkwardly, and stepped out of the doorway, “Sorry for dropping in so suddenly. I had something to discuss with you but, uh… I’ll let you finish your little reunion first.”

“Ah, er,” Spectre Knight’s voice cracked and he straightened his cloak self-consciously, “I believe it is, erm, just wrapping up. How much did you..?”

“Oh, good.”

Mona took another step into the room. The awkward atmosphere only intensified, and Mona wished once more that she could simply melt into a puddle of goo like a slimulacra and seep through the floorboards. Before she could speak again, the crimson boneclang stepped forwards and swept off his cap, bowing.

“Greetings, señora. I am Red, humble Curio hunter, and friend of Spectre Knight. I believe I saw you at his going-away party.”

“That’s right…” said Mona, quickly trying to summon her courtly manners, “Mona Mopes. Game master. Charmed to meet you.”

She curtsied.

“Well, what are you here for?” asked Spectre Knight, a little briskly, clearly as uncomfortable as Mona, “Did you bring Missy?”

“Yes,” said Mona, “She’s… interning with me.”

“Ah, I…” Spectre Knight glanced down at Missy’s minion robes, then back up at Mona, “Wait a tic..! That uniform… Interning with… Oh, good gods. He really did it.”

Mona blinked, “Pardon?”

“Nothing,” Spectre Knight turned away, adjusting his wrap, “Merely the answer to an old curiosity. So..? Go on. Something tells me you are not here to offer me a game of Spin Ye Bottle.”

Mona folded her arms. Oops. Maybe she ought to give Missy something less conspicuous to wear, lest the other Knights pick up on her relation to Plague Knight and react negatively. 

“How erudite of you. No, I’m not here to pass the time. I need to… ask you a favour.”

Spectre Knight turned back, tilting his head. 

“A favour..? By all means… You have provided me much amusement in the past. I believe I owe you something, at least.”

Mona felt a flash of hope. Maybe this would be easy. Maybe he’d just give her his Essence. Mentally crossing her fingers, she continued.

“It’s a mere trifle,” said Mona, waving her hand, “All I need is a piece of your Essence. Would you consent to allowing me to take some?”

Spectre Knight drew back, “A piece of my Essence..? For what purpose?”

Mona’s little spark of hope winked out in an instant. From the suspicious note in his voice, it seemed Spectre Knight wouldn’t accept as readily as she had hoped.

“I…”

“That alchemist wants it, doesn’t he,” hissed Spectre Knight, “What’s the matter with him? Too lazy to come take it again?” 

Mona scowled, “It’s got nothing to do with him. I just need it.”

“It’s for a potio––“ called Missy, before Mona shot her a look.

Something told her she didn’t want Spectre Knight knowing her secret. Now that she knew his true opinion of his old superior, she had a feeling he wouldn’t react too well to finding out that she happened to be one of her ilk. No… telling Spectre Knight the truth would only risk losing all his trust. So she’d have to forfeit a little bit of it instead.

“Yes… As Missy said, it’s for a potion. Just a little experiment, really, nothing grand,” she let her face go blank as she spoke, speaking casually and shrugging vaguely, “I’d explain, but… you probably wouldn’t understand. Not that you’re stupid, but, well… it’s alchemy. And you’re not an alchemist.”

Spectre Knight hovered over the carpet in silence, before snorting with disdain.

“It seems you are keeping something from me, Ms. Mopes,” he said, “Perhaps I shall keep my Essence from you…”

“Oh, come on,” Mona grumbled, “You said you owed me. You’re not backing out, are you?”

“I believe I have a right to know what is being done with a part of me,” said Spectre Knight, crossing his boney arms, “I have had enough of being used. But I suspect you will not reveal to me your intentions… Very well.”

Mona was about to argue, when Spectre Knight reached for his great scythe. Mona stiffened– was he going to attack her?! But no… when he drew his hand back, the weapon did not come with it. Instead, he was holding a small piece of folded paper. 

“I shall offer you a deal, Ms. Mopes,” he said, unfolding the paper and showing it to her, “A simple trade…” 

On its surface, there was a sketch of what appeared to be a neckless with a heart-shaped pendant on the end. 

“You see, there is something that has been taken from me… something very dear. If you can find it and bring it back to me, then, and only then shall I repay you with my Essence.”

Mona peered at the illustration carefully. She noted the shape of the pendant and the markings embossed onto its surface. 

“…Fine,” she sighed, “If you’re going to be like that.”

“Oh, and you should know…” Spectre Knight motioned to his companion, “My friend Red is also in search of that locket. He happens to be very good at finding bespelled trinkets. I would get a move on, if I were you.”

Mona repressed a scowl. He was going to make her do his dirty work! That bastard! Her pity towards him was fading, fast. But she supposed there was no other way.

“So it’s a race, huh?” she glanced towards Red, nonchalantly, “May the best person win.”

Red laughed, “Indeed! But in the end, we are not enemies… we both work towards a worthy, common goal.”

‘But you have nothing to lose,’ Mona thought, in annoyance. 

Smoothing down her dress and turning to go, Mona was about to bid a cold goodbye when she noticed Missy hesitating behind her.

“…Specty?”

Spectre Knight turned to her.

“Yes?”

His voice was softer, now. Missy shuffled.

“I… I’ll find out. How to break the spell. I promise! You won’t have to hurt anymore, Specty. Thank you…”

Spectre Knight made a faint choking sound in the back of his throat, unable to articulate what he wanted to say. But whether he ever managed to speak they never found out; Mona and Missy quickly left the building and began their way back through the Lich Yard.

“Well, that went well,” Mona muttered, sarcastically, “All we have to do is beat a professional Curio hunter at his own game. No sweat.”

“Yeah…”

Missy’s voice was quiet and solemn. Mona slowed down and turned to her. She suddenly felt guilty again. She shouldn’t have been so cold to Missy, earlier. Now that she knew the context of hers and Spectre Knight’s relationship, as well as their situation, her bitterness faded a little.

“…Look,” she muttered, “Mr. Red was right, you know. It wasn’t your fault. You were just doing what any good assistant would do.”

Missy sniffed and wiped her eyes, “Yeah, but I… I-I…”

“What’s important is, ‘Specty’ doesn’t blame you. He might hate his lot, but that doesn’t mean he hates you.”

Missy looked up at Mona with glittering eyes, “B-but that doesn’t change the fact that he’s suffering..!”

Mona pursed her lips. It seemed, for once, that Missy wouldn’t just cheer up immediately. Mona decided to use her usual perspective.

“Well, guilt isn’t going to do you any good,” she said, matter-of-factly, “The best apology is action, and I think you know that, based on your parting words… I’d just try to chin up, for now. Just let yourself take comfort in his forgiveness. He really, really does not blame you.”

“Are you sure..?”

Mona nodded, “I’m positive. That old grump would have thrown a hissy-fit if he were mad at you. Now, come on, buck up– you’ve got more magic to practice.”

Missy’s face split into a watery smile. 

“Oh, thank you, Moany..!”

Mona rolled her eyes.

“Yeah, yeah…” 

With a sigh, she pulled the girl close, then teleported away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey folks! Sorry again for the wait- writing the newest chapter's been a bit of a doozy. Anyway! Some Spectre Knight for this chapter, for you Specty fans! And a rather disobliging quest... Thanks again for all the support, and I'll seeya in the next one! --TS
> 
> PS: To 'Dude what the heck'; I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far, and it's always nice to know people have been following since day one! You da best! (Also your English is perfectly fine!) I am once again in fighting shape, and hopefully will be able to start uploading chapters faster. Thanks a tonne!


	11. The Trove

A new day, a new problem. Mona supposed she was used to it, from working with the minions every day for the past five years. But that didn’t exactly make it any more palatable. Just slightly less hair-pullingly infuriating. 

At the moment, she had one Essence, two-thirds of a potion base, and the rather time-sensitive and gruelling prospect of defeating an expert at their own game.   
The idea of somehow sniffing out a tiny, fairly nondescript trinket in the vastness of The Valley, against someone with years -possibly centuries- of experience was a rather intimidating one. But she had no other choice. If she couldn’t get to Spectre Knight’s beloved locket before Red, she doubted she’d ever be able to get the apparition’s Essence without direct violence. And that was something Mona would prefer to avoid.  
So Mona put herself to the task, interrogating Missy for any information she knew about the skeletal Curio-hunter, how he operated, and what his weaknesses might be. 

Missy and Red had been rather close, it seemed; the two had both been in a rather disadvantageous contract with The Enchantress, and both had sought comfort and friendship in one-another. Apparently, most people on ‘the main floor’ were friends. 

“We all spent so much time in the same space that it would be crazy if we didn’t get to know each other!” explained Missy, “It was almost like… having a family.”

Well, that was all very touching. But unfortunately, Missy didn’t seem to know much about anything that could help Mona outstrip Red in their search. Undaunted, Mona decided to delegate instead. There were no rules about sending others to look so long as she was the one to bring back the prize, right? Spectre Knight had certainly done so, after all. Perhaps she could triumph over Red with sheer numbers?

“It was most likely taken by a passing adventurer,” Mona explained to ten of her most trusted remanning minions, “Spread out over The Village and the Armour Outpost. Listen in at the taverns, skulk around the back alleys… If you catch anyone selling, wearing or talking about a heart-shaped locket, report it to me. And remember; this is a matter of utmost secrecy. I’m counting on you…”

Once her search party was on their way, Mona returned to her previous task… the quest for the Essences. It was about time she visited someone who was less likely to raise such a stink about the affair. Someone who was on semi-good terms with the alchemists… 

“Missy, we’re going on a trip.”

Missy perked up from her place at Mona’s desk, where she’d been practicing her summoning and banishment. 

“To look for Specty’s locket?”

“No, I’ve got the minions working on it. No use wasting precious hours on all that…”

“Err… But don’t you think focusing on one thing at a time might be better..?” 

Mona shot Missy a look, “Ordinarily, yes. But, as I’ve said, we don’t really have the luxury of a lot of time on our side, so…”

Missy sighed and let her head slump back onto Mona’s desk, “Oh, right…”

Mona snapped her fingers, “Come on, up you get. How are you with heat?”

Missy stood up and flicked her fingers one more time, sending Mona’s inkstand juddering to the other side of her desk. Mona reached out and steadied it before it could overturn itself and stain the wood.

“Um, with heat? I don’t mind when it’s hot,” replied Missy, watching her.

Mona straightened up. That made sense. After all, Missy’s magical aura always felt breezy.

“Well, lucky you.”

She turned to the exit tunnels and beckoned Missy after her, “Summon a snack. We’re off to the catapults.”

\- - -

When the pair finally touched down, Missy rushed forwards to look around in interest.

“Oh! Is this the Explodatorium?”

Mona nodded, looking up at the pitch-black castle. Its windows and grates no longer shone with greenish light, and the place was producing less and less runoff every day, now that few if any alchemical experiments were performed there. The land around it, however, was still barren and rocky, devoid of trees, bushes, or any foliage whatsoever. It was something of a poisoned land, here… Plague Knight had had to grow his herbaceous ingredients in one of the nearby towns he’d ruled over. 

“It reminds me of the Tower of Fate,” said Missy, turning back to Mona, “Tall and black… and spooky!”

“Not nearly as tall,” sniffed Mona, “Nor as horrid. Come on, we’ve got a hike ahead of us.”

She was just about to head off towards the east, when there was a sudden twinkle of golden magic, and a glittering square appeared in the wall of the Explodatorium. A second later, a tall figure in blue silk stepped out of it and hurried towards Mona and Missy with quick, light steps.

“Mona..? Is that you..? Oh, um… What are you doing here?”

Mona was momentarily taken aback. It was the Magicist; she must have noticed them arrive on the landing pad.

“Hi, Magicist,” said Mona, listlessly, waving at the other woman.

When she came to a stop, the Magicist peered from Mona to Missy in surprise.

“Oh, um, is this your new protégé? I heard a rumour you were taking students, now,” she asked.

Mona nodded, “Yes, this is Missy. My… sigh. Protégé.”

Missy smiled and curtsied. 

“Nice to meet you!”

The Magicist made one of her low, tassel-swinging bows in return.

“Nice to meet you, too. I am the Magicist of The Village, er, but I work up here sometimes, too.”

Mona tugged at her gloves, frowning, “Well, that’s all very nice, good that you’ve met, and all. But we were just about to–“

“Oh, Mona! Are you staying? It’s just that we’ve finished your dress, and, um, I was hoping you might come ‘round so we could see if it fit… For the wedding, you know… good..?”

Mona’s heart sunk. The wedding. Of course. She’d completely forgotten about it. With everything she now had on her plate, it was difficult to keep things straight… and now that she thought about it, Mona wasn’t sure she would be able to attend.  
She tried not to stall too long as her brain frantically went over every possible excuse she could give to the Magicist to back out. Eventually, she just settled on the easiest option, even as her no-longer functioning stomach boiled with guilt.

“I… About that, Magicist. I think I’m going to have to… drop out.”

The Magicist’s face fell, and Mona bit back a wince.

“Oh, did something happen?” she asked, tilting her tasselled head. 

“…Yes. It turns out I’m going to be very busy. In fact, I am very busy, right now. I can’t come in. But I’m glad I had this chance to… warn you.”

There was a small silence, which felt far longer than it really was, before the Magicist nodded, slowly.

“Don’t worry, Mona, I understand. Science comes first! I wish you luck in your, um… endeavours…”

“Right… Ah… Well! We must be off. Good luck with… mm.”

Mona gave a half-hearted wave before turning sharply and steering Missy away from the Explodatorium. 

“Hey! What was that?” asked Missy, wriggling a little as Mona pulled her along and finally falling into step beside her.

“Nothing. Just some… personal business.” 

Mona swallowed. She wasn’t sure why she felt so horribly ashamed of all this. She hadn’t really wanted to be part of the wedding in the first place, and she had a good reason to duck out, too. Yet… Somehow, it felt… Oh well. The Magicist wouldn’t want a nasty Enchantress at her wedding, anyway…

Walking on, Mona remembered just how far away their destination was from their current location. Coming to a halt, she held up her hand and concentrated. A moment later, a glob of slime and a carriage appeared. Missy startled back.

“What’s that?”

“It’s going to be a slimulacrum. Just let me do a little alchemy… Getting to where we’re going on foot isn’t going to be quick.”

After a touch of mercury here and a few entrails there, a slimy steed was ready and waiting to drive their cart onwards, towards the place they were seeking. Mona rode in silence, only speaking to direct their vehicle left or right. Missy remained fairly quiet as well, though, of course, it didn’t last long.

“…Are you okay, Moany? You seem kind of… down.”

Mona narrowed her eyes, refusing to take them off the road.

“Oh really? More than usual, you mean?”

“Yes,” said Missy, ignoring the sarcasm, “Whatever happened back there… are you sure it went how you wanted it to go..?”

“It went fine.”

It went how it had to. Friends, merriment… these were things she was going to have to get used to going without, again. She was going to disappoint everyone eventually, anyway, when they found out. Might as well back off quick and easy… soften the blow when it came.  
Missy looked like she wanted to argue, but instead decided to start practicing her summoning and banishing again. Thank goodness. It seemed like she was learning not to pry. Mona hoped she’d remember that particular lesson as well as her magical ones… She really did seem to be getting the hang of conjuring objects at will.

As they travelled, the landscape became slightly greener, and a great dark mountain loomed ever closer on the horizon. After a little more than a day’s travel, they were properly into the thick, fungal jungle surrounding the base of the Lost City. Toadstools of varying cap sizes and shapes jutted up out of the ground, so tall that many of their fleshy, gilly undersides could be clearly seen. Most were a dark, verdant colour, similar to the gleaming green globs of goo that also littered the path. Missy seemed quite interested. 

“Ooh! That’s the biggest mushroom I’ve ever seen!” she cried, leaning over the edge of the cart to peer at a nearby puffball. 

“Look, but don’t touch. The spores aren’t great for the respiratory system,” Mona muttered, before pulling their makeshift carriage to a stop and disembarking.

“Stay here. We’ll be back for you later,” she told the Slimulacrum, who saluted and then stood still.

Mona beckoned to Missy, then lead her along the fungus-filled path. The temperature began to rise as they neared the Lost City, though this time the heat didn’t seem to bother Mona. She supposed a little extra warmth couldn’t hurt a corpse. Missy, for her part, seemed perfectly at ease. Mona supposed her natural springy aura was keeping her cool.

When the pair eventually reached the rope-ladder down into the dig-site, they were met by a knight in red armour.

“Halt! Who goes there!”

“Just visitors,” replied Mona, “It’s me, Ms. Mopes. The alchemist? I was here a while back on a matter of business with Mole Knight. Is he in today? I need to speak with him. …Urgently.”

The red-armour shuffled closer and peered up into her face.

“Ahh, yeah. The green lady. …N’ who’s this?”

Mona raised an eyebrow, then swept her hand to the side, “This is my… protégé. Missy.”

“Nice to meet you!” piped up Missy, beaming sunnily. 

“Right. Mole Knight is currently in the middle of a very delicate situation. He won’t be taking visitors. I’m sorry.”

Mona’s face fell, “What? When will he be finished?”

“When he’s figured out the problem, ma’am. But I doubt that’ll be any time soon.”

Mona frowned, “What is the nature of this problem?”

“Structural integrity. There’s something amiss in the mines. It’s very precise, so he won’t have any time to meet with anyone while he sorts it out.”

Mona folded her arms, “I happen to be a powerful alchemist. Figuring out precise problems is my very lifeblood. Let me down, and perhaps I can help your superior.”

And provide a convenient trade for his Essence. If Mole Knight wasn’t forthcoming with it, surely solving a complex complication for him would grease the wheels a little, so to speak.

“I’m sorry, ma’am. But I doubt you’d be able to help, much… I mean, you’re not an excavator, are you? Things are different, down in the tunnels…”

From the faintly disparaging tone in the guard’s voice, Mona assumed he was skeptical of how her scientific knowledge could be of any use down in the rough-and-tumble realm of the mines.   
Mona glanced over at Missy, who shook her head and shrugged. Mona understood. The guard wasn’t especially heated or annoyed at them, so using Missy’s calming spell wouldn’t really do much good.

“If the problem is precise and delicate, I’m sure Mole Knight is searching for a cerebral answer. These, I can provide,” Mona insisted, “If you could tell me more about the problem, perhaps I could get started on a solution now. I don’t even have to go down until everything is all sorted…”

“Well, you’ll have to wait either way,” said the red-armour, shrugging unhelpfully.

“But I’ll have to wait less if you let me help you,” said Mona, trying not to sound too exasperated. 

“And I’m pretty confident you can’t help,” replied the red-armour.

Mona glared at him. She hated people like this. ‘You can’t, you can’t, you can’t’, they said. So sure of themselves. So complacent in their baseless assumption of the facts. They wouldn’t even listen to anything she had to say. Silencing her before she’d even opened her mouth. Even though Mona knew better, this attitude always made her feel so powerless, so smothered– an instinct from long ago retched up the back of her throat like bile. She fought it, looking for a way to fool a little information out of the idiot, to get her foot in the proverbial door… All she needed was an opening… something she could pry at to allow herself entrance… She couldn’t afford anymore delays!

But before she could come up with anything of substance, there was a soft popping sound and the smell of fresh spring air. For a moment, one of the enormous equipment trunks from the Potionarium hung, suspended in midair above the red-armour. Then, with a loud THUD, it crashed into the top of his head, knocking him out cold. Mona stared, mouth open, before letting out a burble of shocked laughter. 

“Missy!”

“I-I’m sorry!” Missy cried, withdrawing her outstretched hands and clutching them under her chin, “I-I just wanted to–“

“Come on! Before he wakes up–“

Mona beckoned Missy to the rope down to the tunnels, and banished the trunk off of the unfortunate guard. With any luck, he’d wake up with little to no memory of the incident and not bother them. Mona held back another giggle as she banished her skirts and began to climb down into the shaft. It was a simple, yet hilarious solution, and one she was pretty sure they could get away with. It was exactly the sort of thing Plague Knight would have done… Her mirth faded a little as she silently wished she could be doing this alongside him. Then again, if that were possible, she wouldn’t be doing any of this in the first place.

“Well done,” she said, wistfully, as she descended, “I’ve been so focused on diplomacy lately that I completely forgot we can get away with a little brute-force.”

Especially on an unsuspecting and most-likely unskilled enemy. 

“Will he be okay?” Missy asked, glancing up at the hole above, nervously.

“He’ll be fine,” said Mona. Truthfully, she didn’t know, but at this point it didn’t matter.

 

When the pair reached the bottom of the rope, they found themselves in the shallowest layer of the Lost City dig-site. The air was already oppressively hot, and the faint burble of lava could be heard from nearby.   
Presently, the sound of metallic footsteps could be heard, heralding the arrival of another armoured gentleman. This one carried a large shield, and trotted with a sort of skip, identifying him as a Hoppicles. 

“Halt! State your business!” he cried, coming to a stop and peeking around the edge of his shield.

“Consultation,” said Mona, smartly, “We’re a delegation from the Potionarium, here to help Mole Knight with his… issue.”

The Hoppicles tilted his head, slightly, “…Really? I didn’t know we sent out for aid…”

“We have a variety of sources,” said Mona, shaking her head, “And we are eager to provide assistance to a partner who has proved themselves so reliable in the past”

After a short hesitation, the Hoppicles shrugged, “Well, if Herman let you down, you must be alright! Follow me.”

Mona swallowed and smirk and hastened after the man, followed closely by Missy.  
While the journey down into the tunnels was a long, stifling one, it was also surprisingly smooth. From the carefully built supports and clean-cut walls, Mona assumed they were traveling through the miner’s work shafts. About halfway down, the Hoppicles stopped the pair and held up his hand.

“Just stay still, a moment. I’ll need to heat-proof you before we go down any further. I must say, though, you’ve been doing a mighty fine job of putting up with the heat thus far.”

Mona nodded, uncomfortably. She could definitely perceive the sweltering temperature all around her, yet it didn’t seem to be able to slow her down.  
With a flick of his gauntleted wrist, a pair of sparks flew out of the tips of the Hoppicles’s fingers and landed on Mona and Missy. A strange feeling overcame them, as if a ripple was spreading across their skin. When the feeling subsided, the heat around them seemed to dull. 

“Wow! Are you a fire mage?” asked Missy, excitedly.

“Yep! One of Mole Knight’s top students,” said the Hoppicles, proudly, “I make sure everybody can work in the less-than-optimal conditions down here.”

“You wouldn’t happen to be willing to teach someone else how you did that, would you?” asked Mona, casually.

When Plague Knight had descended into the Lost City, he’d needed to medicate himself with a specially-prepared cooling solution to stave off the deadly temperatures. Learning how to magically negate such environmental obstacles would be quite useful…

“Depends! Are you a fire mage?”

“…No. I’m… Not a fire mage.”

“Sorry, then. Magics don’t cross user-types, I’m afraid.”

Mona scowled. She seemed to remember the Magicist mentioning something like that, once. One could develop equivalent spells across types of magic, but certain users specialized in ways others couldn’t. If only she knew more about Enchantress magic… Oh well.

Continuing on, the path began to grow more and more ragged and unruly. Rivers of lava jutted through the floor, and globs of it dripped from above. Signs that these hazards were being patched up were present, but it seemed many of them were make-shift. These tunnels were becoming newer and newer…  
Finally, the corridor widened out onto a huge chamber of molten rock. It was so hot inside that the air swam hazily. Pools of lava bubbled sluggishly between walkways of rocky ground, populated here and there by tall pillars of stone. Some were inscribed with tales in a language Mona had never seen before. There, in the middle of the room, was Mole Knight, standing on an island of rock in front of a large stone wall. The wall itself seemed to be somewhat worse for wear– it took Mona a little while to realize that some of the dents and slashes in it were actually meant to depict something. Standing around Mole Knight were several of his underlings, all inspecting the huge stone surface and muttering.

“Boss!” called the Hoppicles, waving, “A delegation from the Potionarium has arrived! They’re here to help with the stability issues!” 

Mole Knight spun around surprisingly quickly for such a large man, then shook his head in surprise.

“Mo– ah– Mopes? What on earth are you doing down here?!” he cried, striding over and hopping a few lava flows to reach them, “Who let you in? I didn’t send for any delegation!”

“No,” said Mona, calmly, “But we came anyway. This is Missy. We’re here to help with your… problem. Whatever it is.”

Mole Knight stood for a moment, considering them, before sighing a pressing his long, glowing claws to the front of his helmet.

“Does Plague Knight have anything to do with this?”

“No,” Mona repeated, “Actually, I’ve come of my own accord. I heard from your staff that you’re having some technical difficulties, and I’m here to offer my scientific expertise.”

“Oh yeah? Out of the goodness of your heart?” asked Mole Knight.

“…Well. Partially. And partially, I’m looking for a… particular recompense.”

“Ha. Which is..?” 

“…Your Essence.”

Mole Knight groaned, “Oh no. No way. I ain’t going through that again.”

“You certainly… ain’t. I’ve developed a much… gentler way of extracting Essences,” Mona said, carefully, “I just need it for a small side project. It won’t affect you at all in any way.”

Mole Knight laughed, ruefully, “Oh yeah? Right. So, I give you my Essence, and you’ll… what? Swoop in and save the day? Listen, Mopes, I’m not at the end of my rope, here…”

“You have it backwards,” said Mona, patiently, “I try my best to solve your problem, and, after succeeding, you graciously reward me with my request. All I ask is a chance to earn my keep.”

Mole Knight snorted.

“Cute. Real cute.”

“So, you’ll let me try?”

“Look, I know how you operate, and I’m gonna tell you now; this ain’t a question of ballistic force. If it were that easy, I would’a done it already.”

“I’m not just an explosives engineer, Mole Knight,” said Mona, folding her arms, “I am an alchemist. Discovering the answers to difficult questions is part of my creed.”

“Ahuh?” Mole Knight turned away, slowly, and tapped his claws against his armour, “…Fine. I’ll tell you about it. Might as well have another mind on the problem. But I ain’t handing over anything until the job is done… and I mean done. No alchemical shortcuts, you.”

Mona smirked a little, partly amused by Mole Knight’s gruffness, and partially glad she had a chance to get her way. She was certain she could figure out an answer to Mole Knight’s conundrum if he just gave her a look.

“Right,” said Mole Knight, dismissing the Hoppicles and leading Mona and Missy over to the other end of the chamber, “See this stone wall, here? With the carvings?”

“It’s hard not to,” Mona muttered under her breath.

“Behind this wall is an archive from the old city. From what we could translate of the writing, the chamber beyond holds treasures untold, both cultural and… well, more material.”

“Hmm… Then it really must be something keeping you out,” muttered Mona.

“I’m getting to that,” grunted Mole Knight, irritably, “The problem is that the integrity of the rock is very poor down here… not helped by our own tunnels, unfortunately.”

He harrumphed, shaking his head, then continued, “I’ve determined that tunnelling in from any direction may destabilize the entire chamber, and jeopardize its contents. We’ve been trying to figure out a solution for about a week now, but… well, as you can see, we ain’t done much.”

He pointed to a narrow crack in the stone, which revealed only darkness on the other side. It seemed the surface was actually quite thin, which would account for its delicateness. 

“See that crack? Anything wider’n that will bring the whole place crashing down. No matter what we think of, the fact remains that damaging any of these extremely unstable walls will cause a total collapse.”

Mona inspected the wall, quietly, frowning. How to get in without breaking any of them? It seemed impossible… at least, by conventional means.  
Mona cursed under her breath; for a moment, she’d hoped her magic would be able to help her. Unfortunately, while summoning and teleportation could both bypass the walls without penetration, Mona’s current understanding of the spells couldn’t help her. Mona couldn’t summon anything or teleport anywhere without experiencing the object or destination firsthand. So that was out of the question.

“Well, madame alchemist? Got any bright ideas?” asked Mole Knight.

Mona rolled her eyes, “Science isn’t instantaneous. Give me some time to think it over.”

Mole Knight snorted, then waved her away, “Good luck with that.”

Turning back, Mona and Missy were once again escorted out of the mines and up to the surface, where they guiltily passed a slightly dazed-looking red-armour.

“I guess we’ve got another problem on our hands, huh, Moany?” piped up Missy, who’d been quiet up until now.

“Tell me something I don’t know,” Mona sighed, walking over to a nearby toadstool and sitting down on it. The flesh gave slightly under her weight, but supported her.

Missy let out a little ‘ooh!’ and scurried over to another mushroom to do the same.

“Right,” said Mona, “If the walls are so fragile they can’t be tunnelled through, perhaps some kind of vitriol might do the trick…”

“But Mole Knight said the walls couldn’t be damaged in any way,“ said Missy, “They’re barely holding together as it is!”

Mona scowled, “Well, yes, but… Ugh.”

No holes. Was there some other way to get inside, then? There was a tiny crack in the wall… but far too narrow to allow even the smallest person inside. It was more of a slit than anything. Anything solid couldn’t pass through… but perhaps liquid?   
Mona momentarily thought about feeding a Slimulacrum through the crack. That could work, if it had a thin-enough core. …But then, once inside, what would it do? It couldn’t relay anything back, as Slimulacra didn’t speak, and it certainly couldn’t carry anything out. Rats.

The simple fact remained that there was a very physical barrier standing between very physical forces on both sides. Mona got up from her toadstool and began pacing in circles, eyes narrowed. The cogs turning in her head could probably power the entire Clockwork Tower. Unfortunately, as the hours wore on, nothing came to mind.

“Maybe we should take a break,” called Missy, eventually, rolling off the mushroom on which she’d been laying, “Get a fresh perspective on this, or… or something.”

Mona groaned and shook her head, “But… I have to… I…”

After a few choking protestations from the back of her throat, let out a deep sigh and sagged. Missy was right. Trying to plough through a problem this dense head-on was a recipe for disaster. Or at least a sore noggin. Retreating to Missy’s side, Mona took her vacated mushroom and plopped down on it, sulkily.

“There’s just… nothing I can think of,” she murmured, “Every time I think I have an answer, I remember the limitations of the proposed solution and it collapses again… Just like those stupid walls will if we try anything.” 

Was this it? Was she going to have to get violent? She really didn’t want to, in this case. As he was their new associate, attacking Mole Knight and stealing his Essence would probably alert Plague Knight and others to her odd behaviour, and she couldn’t let that happen. And even more than that… Mole Knight was a friend. Though Mona would have to abandon… well, everyone at the end of this journey, it was unfair of her to tear away one of the few true allies her partner had. Though Plague Knight didn’t quite think of Mole Knight a bosom-buddy, Mona could tell that he considered the other more than just a convenience. Plague Knight was really starting to make friends… something both he and Mona struggled with. She refused to take that away from him.

“You know, it’s a real shame The Enchantress destroyed all her spell books,” said Missy, shaking Mona out of her thoughts, “She had this one move, I remember… it would have been super useful for this!”

Mona cocked her head, “What move?”

“It was this sort of… whoosh!” said Missy, throwing her hands forwards and wiggling her fingers, “She’d become intangible and fly right through… well, anything! If you could do that, you could just go right through the walls!”

Mona stared. There was such a spell? But then– she remembered this, in fact– Plague Knight had described something similar when he’d regaled her with the tale of his battle with The Enchantress. The two had fought on a fragile arena of hovering earth above a perilous drop. Sometimes, The Enchantress would dive in and out of the platform, attempting to knock Plague Knight off or hurt him. He’d described her as piercing and emerging from the ground like a fish leaping through water. As if it wasn’t solid at all…

“That would help,” Mona agreed, slowly, “if I knew how…”

Knowing that there had once been a repository of information on Eldritch Magic, and that The Enchantress had seen fit to destroy it infuriated Mona. The idea that someone would just destroy knowledge… take away that greatest boon of living, thinking creatures… her blood, or what was left of it, boiled in her ears.  
She stood up sharply, startling Missy, and shut her eyes. She was an alchemist. A woman of science. Alchemy wasn’t magic, but magic was something one had to discover. And it was an alchemist’s sworn duty to chase discovery with every ounce of their being.   
Mona had learned to summon and teleport on her own- perhaps she could learn to do this as well? It had all been about the feeling… about something deep inside. If she could just reach that same source, maybe she could make contact with that spell? It was a long shot. But it was all she had.

Mona concentrated with all her might, thinking as hard as she could about becoming intangible. She pictured her feet, then her legs, then her torso, arms, neck and head, all melting into nothingness. Unfortunately, when she opened her eyes, nothing had happened. Mona frowned.

“I-is everything ok?” asked Missy, who was standing back warily, “If you’re too worked up I can use my mood magic– erm, if you want, of course! I–“

“I just need to get the hang of it,” Mona interrupted, staring forwards with a steely glint in her eyes, “If… if there’s really a way to pass through solid rock, I have to learn how.”

“R-really? Do you think you can figure it out?”

“I can try…”

Mona sat down and crossed her legs, lowering her head into her hands and closing her eyes again. Perhaps meditation would work. The Magicist had once said she used meditation to clear her mind. Mona had privately scoffed at the time. As if the Magicist needed her head cleared. But the way she’d described it, she’d said it felt like melting away into the aether… and that was exactly what Mona needed to do. So she took a deep, useless breath, and tried to get in touch with her inner nothingness.   
Meditation, however, was not an easy feat for someone who’s mind was constantly swarming with ideas. Mona found herself getting bored trying not to think, and her mind began wandering to other topics. She had to reroute her mental focus at least ten times until she finally gave up and opened her eyes to find herself still annoyingly solid.

“Hmm…”

She glanced up at Missy, who was sitting demurely on the grass with her hands folded, watching intently.

“…You don’t need to stick around,” said Mona, “This is going to be very boring.”

“Oh– Er–“

“Wait. Never mind. I need you. Come here and use your calming magic on me. It might help me relax enough to sublimate.”

Missy jumped up eagerly and scuttled over, clearly happy to help. She raised her hands and held them, palm out, towards Mona. Mona watched the bright green light of Missy’s magic illuminate her digits, and felt a wave of cool spring air wash over her.  
She definitely felt calmer. Time to give this thing another try. She would get there; she only had to focus…

This time, Mona’s mind was finally able to quiet down. She found herself in a strange, liminal space between awareness and unconscious. She was at once present in her body and also drifting somewhere else, just on the edge of sleep…   
She wasn’t sure how much time had passed when she next roused herself. She looked up to Missy for an answer, blinking in the sudden comparative brightness of the mushroomy shade they were occupying. Missy had her hands folded in front of her again, and an apologetic look on her face.

“…Nothing happened, huh.”

“…No.”

Mona sighed deeply and stood up.

“Cheer up, Moany!” cried Missy, quickly, “I’m sure you’ll get it soon! And if not, we can always think of something else..!”

Yes… something else like learning how to survive in a fight against the Claws of Fate. Ugh.  
Mona’s calm was quickly fading. She stalked away from Missy, returning to her pacing from earlier. Enough sitting around. Being stationary was only useful when her mind and hands were occupied. Curses! If only magic was like alchemy!  
Alchemy was so much easier to understand… if Mona wanted to turn a solid into a gas, all she had to do was create a sublimation circle! In fact, she didn’t even need a circle– so long as enough heat and pressure was applied, an element could be reduced to a gas without much trouble. She’d done it time and time again with her alembics and retorts in the pursuit of other, greater projects. She knew the process inside and out, the exact amount of force needed to complete the experiment without shattering anything involved. She could picture it in her mind’s eye at this very moment, the miraculous change of state behind the glass!

“Ah!”

Mona’s eyes shot open and she turned to Missy, who was staring at her with wide eyes. 

“M-Moany! You– You–!”

Momentarily confused, Mona made to take a step towards her companion before realizing that she didn’t have a step to take. Glancing down at herself revealed a dark, indistinct mass in the general shape of her body. Moving caused her form to swirl and undulate like silt in water, or smoke in the air…   
Mona stumbled back, stunned, and immediately solidified. Missy rushed to her, eyes alight with excitement.

“You did it!! You did it!! You looked just like Her! H-how did you figure it out?!”

Mona blinked, and shook her head, “I-I don’t know… I was just thinking about…”

Sublimation. Sublimation as she knew it. Could it be that magic and alchemy, at least in her case… weren’t so different after all? But now was not the time to ponder the why– the how was much more important.   
Taking another useless, if bolstering breath, Mona spread her arms and pictured sublimation as hard as she could. Everything she knew about the subject, every experiment she’d ever performed– she didn’t just know how it worked– she Knew it.  
From the sound of Missy’s delighted gasp, it seemed Mona had once again managed to reduce her body to a formless haze. Now was the time to master it. 

Walking like normal didn’t seem to be possible in this form. Since she had no solid limb to push off against the earth with, this made sense. Instead, Mona tried to will herself forwards. This seemed to work, to a certain extent. It was a little awkward, at first; speed and direction were difficult to get the hang of. Sometimes she would jerk forwards quickly, and others, she would merely waft sideways like a leaf in a stream.   
Another problem arose when she tried moving downwards, as well. Despite being the opposite of solid, it seemed that Mona wasn’t exactly intangible. She couldn’t enter the ground as The Enchantress had been said to; her body merely spread out into a rolling bank of mist as she pushed herself closer and closer to the dirt below.   
Mona sighed, ruefully, as she reformed. She supposed this made sense. She had only sublimated herself; turned herself into a gas. And gasses could be trapped inside solid containers. It seemed she did not truly understand the original spell after all… Yet, all was not lost. Being in this shape did afford her some advantages; no longer having a physical presence meant that she could squeeze through any space she wanted, so long as there was space to be had. She found she could navigate the forest of fungi quite quickly simply by soaring through it; her body drifted and whirled around obstacles, allowing her to move with incredible speed. Not that she could fly, exactly– it seemed she was confined to a space just above the earth, where her natural stance would hold her. Oh well. It was imperfect and half-formed… but just enough.

“Alright. I think I can do it. Missy, we’re heading back down.”

 

Once back in the tunnels, Mona and Missy reentered the chamber and found Mole Knight still puzzling over the problem at hand. He turned once they approached, placing his claws on his hips– or just about.

“Ah. So you’re back. Had an epiphany, eh?”

He didn’t sound very credulous, but Mona didn’t care. She had what she needed. Time to get that Essence.

“You could say that,” said Mona, sauntering past him, “I’m going to go inside the chamber, now. Just tell me what you want, and I’ll send it out…”

Before Mole Knight could say anything, Mona approached the narrow crack in the wall and stood still. There were faint gasps from behind her as her body dissolved into a cloud of mist, and with a little jerk forwards, Mona slipped through the crack and into the space beyond. 

Inside was pitch dark, and silent. Reforming and returning to solidity, Mona took a few, tentative steps. Her boots brushed something, and she backed up. Kneeling down, Mona tried to feel what she’d knocked into- it felt like a chest. 

“Oh, this is silly,” she muttered, aloud, before snapping her fingers and conjuring a flare from the labs. Raising it into the air and lighting it, Mona let out a gasp as the room around her was revealed. The walls were awash in carvings– these were even more intricate than those outside. Stacks of chests like the one she’d bumped into leaned against the walls, as well as piles of gold and jewels. Ceramic urns of different sizes cropped up here and there, as well as wooden ornaments, stone tablets, tools, and… a huge, lavishly decorated tomb. A veritable treasure trove.

“Wow…”

Turning back to the wall she’d come through, Mona pressed her mouth against the crack.

“Mole Knight– can you hear me?”

“Mona! What’s in there? Don’t touch anything, mind– we wanna keep this site pristine!”

“Right– er, it’s… well, I think it’s incredible and I only a have a fraction of its context.”

There was some faint discussion from outside. It seemed Mole Knight was relaying the news to his men.

“Can you tell the condition of the room? Is there any way to bolster it from the inside?”

Mona glanced back and frowned, “…I’m not exactly a miner. I’m not sure if I could help you with that. Maybe… let me take a closer look.”

Moving back into the room, Mona carefully picked her away around the piles of precious ancient junk, doing her best not to disturb them. This wasn’t exactly easy for a rather large, seven-foot tall woman to do– eventually, she decided to return to her intangible form to navigate the room. This proved much easier. While she still couldn’t fly, exactly, she could semi-mount the piles of gold in her gaseous form to get a better look at higher patches of the walls. Unfortunately, she still wasn’t sure how to fortify the chamber without damaging it…

Returning to the centre, Mona sat herself down on top of the tomb near where she’d left her flare, assured that she wouldn’t tarnish it in this form. …Probably. Vapours were capable of affecting objects, but Mona wasn’t sure what kind of vapour she counted as.  
As she sat, pondering her new predicament, she found that part of her legs were seeping ever so slightly into a groove in the tomb.

“Oh… Of course. It’s a tomb. There’s something inside,” she muttered. 

Probably a corpse. A really, super old corpse.  
Mona curiosity needled at her. She kind of wanted to take a peek. Then again, she wouldn’t be able to see; she doubted there would be enough space inside the stone coffin. Even more importantly, if she conjured the flare in there, it would probably light whatever was inside on fire.   
Despite all that, Mona was still rather interested in seeing if she could fit inside at all. She was a very curious woman, after all. So, banishing her flare, Mona knelt down next to the tomb and began to feed herself carefully through the infinitesimal gap between the two slabs of stone.

“Not quite intangible, but pretty close,” she muttered to herself, very pleased.

When she was fully on the other side, Mona found that she had much more room to move around than expected. In fact, there seemed to be yet more room the more she moved– she even felt she might be able to solidify in here. Very gingerly, Mona tested her theory, and found herself sitting on what felt like… stairs?  
With another flick of her wrist, she conjured her flare back into her hands. Through the reddish light, Mona was able to see that she was, in fact, sitting on a row of stone steps that descended into the darkness.

“This isn’t a tomb at all..!” she whispered, aloud. 

The ceiling was not very high, so Mona had to crouch a little as she moved through the cramped space as carefully as possible. The steps went down quite a ways, culminating in what seemed to be a cave-in…   
Sublimating again, Mona squeezed through the gaps in the rocks until she hit solid dirt… There must be a tunnel on the other side..!

Swooshing back up the passage and out of the room, Mona reformed before the shocked assemblage and grinned one of her frightening grins.

“I found a way in,” she said, planting her fists on her hips proudly, “But you’ll have to figure out exactly where it is on your own.”

“What?!” cried Mole Knight, “What did you find?!”

“There’s a false tomb in there,” said Mona, “There’s a staircase inside, leading to a blocked passage. I think you may have dug a tunnel past it. If you can figure out where it is, you can simply mount the stairs and end up in the treasure room…” 

Mole Knight laughed and clanged his claws together, “Well, bless my soul! You really pulled through..! …Unless you’re lying.”

Mona raised an eyebrow, “Oh, Mole Knight! I didn’t know you thought so lowly of me…”

“Look, you n’ Plague Knight are good kids. But I know you’re not above shenanigans to get what you want.”

Mona sighed and folded her arms, “Well. Guilty as charged. But this time I am telling the truth. We share the same goal, do we not, Mole Knight? The pursuit of knowledge? I’d never withhold answers from a fellow scholar.”

‘Unless I had a good reason,’ she thought, privately. But she trusted Mole Knight. All he wanted was to show off his digging prowess, and explore a little ancient culture. Glory wasn’t necessarily evil…

“…Alright. We’ll start looking for that passage right away.”

“Good,” said Mona, smoothing down her slightly ruffled dress, “Right after you give me your Essence, of course.”

“Ahah. Right… Well, I guess you earned it.”

Mole Knight sighed and spread his arms, staring at her head-on, “Go on, then! Gimme a good kick, or whatever it is you gotta do.”

“I told you, I have an easier way of doing this,” said Mona, rolling her eyes. 

After completing the needed alchemical circle and standing back, Mona reached out once more and began to tug on Mole Knight’s Essence. He stood remarkably still as she coaxed the whirling blue sphere, and didn’t even flinch as it broke apart to reveal the spinning crimson orb inside. Solid as a rock, that one…

“Thank you, Mole Knight,” said Mona, tucking the Essence away into her Portable Decanter and bowing, “You’ve done a great favour for science!”

“Yeah, yeah,” sighed Mole Knight, turning away, “You just head back home before I decide that wasn’t such a good idea…”

Mona smirked, then left for the exit tunnels, trailing a very excited Missy behind her.

 

“We did it!” cried Missy, unable to contain her excitement any longer as they finally reached their parked cart, “That’s the second Essence!”

Mona glanced over at her, feeling a faint wistfulness. She remembered being just as gleeful when Plague Knight had brought her the second Essence what seemed like a million years ago…

“We’re definitely making better progress,” said Mona, climbing up onto the cart and reaching out to help Missy up as well.

“AND you learned a whole new enchantment!” squealed Missy, “This is amazing! Maybe I can learn it, too!”

“It’s… not quite right,” said Mona, instructing their steedulacra to begin moving, “I’m not fully intangible.”

“But you got close enough,” said Missy, “That’s still amazing! Learning any kind of Enchantress magic without a guide is a pretty big feat.”

Mona snorted, trying not to feel too flattered.

“Well, it seems we’re both surprisingly accomplished. Now that you’ve learned summoning, maybe I can try to teach you teleportation next?”

Missy’s eyes grew wide, “Really?! Will you?!”

“I-I suppose,” said Mona, self-consciously. 

She was always a little embhassased by the way Missy looked up to her. She felt she didn’t deserve it… Then again, teaching… or at least prompting the young woman to perform teleportation would only bring her closer to living up to the girl’s admiration. 

“Well, when we get back, we can–“

Mona was interrupted by a loud growl. Missy blinked in surprise, then blushed, hugging her abdomen.

“…we can get to work. But not until you’ve eaten. Here…”

Mona flicked her wrist and summoned a loaf of bread from the Potionarium pantry, “I seem to have forgotten that people need food to survive…”

Without the grouch-inducing ache in her gut, Mona had completely put meals out of her mind. She wondered whether she could still eat at all.   
As Missy chowed down on bread beside her, Mona went over her next plan of action. Two Essences down, and a teleportation lesson back at home… What came next? After a little thought, Mona’s brain seized on a persistent problem that they hadn’t quite solved yet. Probably best to get to that, next…

“Missy,” said Mona, “Did you manage to get your hands on any more necromancy books? We still have to deal with those wayward souls…”

Missy, who’s cheeks were stuffed with bread, took a moment to swallow before replying apologetically, “Oh, er, about that… I don’t think I can get us any more books, Moany…”

“What? Why?”

“Well… Turns out my contact who got the first two kinda got in trouble with his boss for sharing with non-necromancers… See, I only count as a semi-necromancer, and you know they’re really cagey with their information, so…”

Mona groaned and clapped a hand to her forehead.

“Oh, for goodness sake… Everyone’s a coward. …What do we do now..?” No necromancy books, and no ideas. “You can’t find anyone else?”

“He was my only contact. Finding someone else who trusts me enough might take a while…”

“…Right. Well. Maybe we’ll have to… improvise. You named the wayward souls when you saw them. What do you know about those things?”

“Oh! Well– I don’t know how to banish them,” said Missy, putting her bread down in her lap and perking up, “But I do know a bit about them! They’re a very important ingredient for creating undead soldiers. The Enchantress used a lot of them back in the day… I guess that’s why there’s so many under the Ruins.”

“Undead soldiers, huh? That definitely sounds like her.” said Mona, ruefully.

“Yes, She did seem to like those, huh…” 

“Did you happen to get a good look at how she made them?”

“Well… Anything that’s being brought back from the dead either needs a soul or magic to keep it going,” said Missy, “The ones with souls are the most powerful, though. Specty still has his soul, you see– even though his body’s dead.”

Mona bit back a grimace and nodded.

“And wayward souls are really good fodder for warriors, because they’re… er… well, they’re all very… upset,” Missy played with her curls agitatedly, “If someone dies in agony or great turmoil, their soul tends to hold onto all that… Instead of forgetting and passing on, it clings to the surface of the underworld… They want revenge, or some kind of catharsis… some way to stop feeling so bad…”

Missy picked up another slice of bread and bit into it, “They’re short of harmlesh when they’re down there. But if they get out… well, you shaw! They immediately go looking for a body to inhabit!”

Mona frowned.

“But they can already interact with the living world. Why do they need a body?”

“I dunno… I think it’s part of their torment,” said Missy, swallowing, “They need to feel alive again, I suppose. But it’s not good if they succeed. They force the host’s soul right out and take its place… effectively killing whoever used to live there.”

Mona shuddered. As interesting as this all was, it was rather horrific, too. What a terrible existence… Of course The Enchantress would manufacture these wretches as her main source of cannon fodder. 

“A lot of The Enchantress’s boneclangs were made with wayward souls,” continued Missy, “I-it’s… Well, it’s really horrible. B-but at least She didn’t allow them to get ahold of a living host!”

There was a long silence.

“…So,” said Mona, after she’d recovered from processing all this information, “So far, we know… not that much. Wayward souls are weak to light and holy artifacts–”

“As most things from the underworld are,” chimed in Missy.

“–Right, and their main objective is to find a body to bind with.”

“Mhm! Once they’re inside, they’re sort of alive again, you know?”

“Sort of,” Mona muttered, unconvinced. She wasn’t sure how alive piloting around a husk was… especially from experience. But if those were the rules… “…I suppose I’ll have to work with what we’ve got…”

With that, they lapsed back into silence again. The road ahead seemed a little longer than before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Sorry for the long wait again. I know I keep promising quicker chapters but writing has been difficult as of late... so I'm gonna stop doing that, haha.
> 
> Anyway! Here's chapter eleven, and a visit from Mole Knight! I know it's never really stated that he's specifically an archeologist in canon, but I've never been able to let go of the idea since reading S is for Shovel, K is for Knight... It's a lovely little alphabet fic that I'm sure at least some of you have read, heheh. 
> 
> Thanks again for reading, and I'll see ya... as soon as possible, next time! --T.S.


	12. The Bargain

Rather than returning to the Explodatorium, which would now be a rather awkward place to visit, Mona and Missy rode their cart to the nearest village. 

“Aren’t we going back to the lab?” asked Missy, curiously.

“I am, for a moment,” said Mona, as she dismounted the cart, “To put Mole Knight’s Essence into the Decanter. But the both of us are staying here for a bit, to get the next Essence.”

“Ooh! Who’s next?”

“I’ll tell you when I get back. In the meantime, find someplace to rest up in, just in case. We might be here a while, depending…”

With that, Mona took three, measured steps, and disappeared. When she reappeared in the lab, she quickly set to ducking under the tarps of the Dynamo Decanter to put away her prize. Mole Knight’s Essence made its way through the pipes, and came to rest calmly next to King Knight’s, whirling gently behind the greenish glass.

When Mona shimmied out from under the drapes of the machine, she quickly made her way to the workstations next door, and sure enough, her minions had returned.

“Boss!”

“Welcome back, boss!”

“Where’ve you been, boss?”

“Yes, yes, hi,” she said, impatiently, “Did you find anything?” 

The minions cheery demeanours quickly faded, and they all shifted into little gestures of sheepishness.

“Erm… Well…”

“We did find a few people with heart-shaped lockets, boss!”

“…But none like the one you were looking for.”

“…Gee, those lovebirds sure could throw a good punch…”

Mona let out a quiet groan of frustration and turned away, “Well, take a short rest, and then keep looking! I need that locket.”

Storming back into her lab, Mona made to teleport to Missy, when she realized that she probably couldn’t make the trip. Stumbling to a stymied halt, Mona cursed her shoddy control over her magic. Drat! Under normal circumstances, she would be working with Plague Knight, and for whatever reason, she could always teleport to his side. She had to remember that things were different, now.   
Chiding herself for being so absentminded, Mona teleported instead to the vicinity of the Explodatorium, which she knew well enough to get to with passable accuracy. From there, she supposed she’d have to walk…   
Traipsing along, Mona put her mind to work on alternatives for finding the locket. The minions weren’t having much luck, and if Red and his people hadn’t managed to find it yet, they most likely would soon. Mona tried to think if she knew anybody who could rival Red’s apparent expertise. Perhaps one of Propeller Knight’s men? Those poorly disguised sky-pirates poked their noses into specialty-item finding every once in a while, for the right price. And then, of course, there were the more regular, run-of-the-mill sea-bound raiders, who might have already scooped up the locket for themselves. If so, she would have an excellent advantage, considering where all their loot had gone, recently. But Mona sincerely doubted she would be so lucky. No… that very mountain of treasure was exactly what was about to make her upcoming trip so dangerous. 

Striding along, Mona found herself growing impatient. It was times like these that she really wished she could fly. Ah..! But she could do the next best thing! Shutting her eyes, Mona once again let the solidity of her body melt away, becoming a smokey black mass. She focused on building up momentum, spurring her ghostly figure onwards until she was shooting across the grass at an impressive speed. Mona found herself giggling as she went. The speed and the lack of obstacles– it all felt so free! If only she could take off into the air… Oh well. She could always figure that out later.  
Remembering herself, Mona regained corporeal form just outside the village, before sauntering in and looking around for her protégé. Thankfully, it didn’t take her long to locate Missy, as the girl had been looking for her, too.

“I found a place to stay!”

“Good. We should… ah,” Mona noted the darkening of the sky around them. They’d spent a whole day traveling back from the Lost City, “You should rest. I’m going to go over our strategy for tomorrow…”

“I can stay up,” insisted Missy.

“But you should sleep,” Mona countered, stonily.

Missy huffed, “You know, for someone who doesn’t need to sleep, you seem to be kinda obsessed with it.”

Mona shot Missy a look. The comment stung a little, partially because it reminded her of an old joke she and Plague Knight used to share about hygiene. 

“At least tell me where we’re going,” Missy pouted.

Mona sighed and relented, “We’re going down to the beach. It’s time we paid Treasure Knight a little visit.”

\- - -

When morning came, Mona had had enough time to mull over her plan properly. She was fairly certain she had an attractive deal for the bounty hunter, one that he would accept even with his current animosity towards the staff of the Explodatorium.   
Treasure Knight, at the moment, was in a bit of a pickle. During the sacking of his ship, Plague Knight had had to get a little creative with his entrances. While the Iron Whale was aptly named, certain delicate internal devices used for steering and submerging and the like were not as good at defending against bombs as the hull. After the onslaught, the Iron Whale was left stranded and broken, much to the vindictive pleasure of the locals. Said locals decided to go one step further, in fact, and set up a nautical blockade. At this moment, it was impossible for Treasure Knight to make the repairs needed on his ship to sail away, as any attempts at obtaining parts were stymied on both land and water. So he remained, marooned in the bay, stewing.

Mona’s plan was to help him out a little. In return for his Essence. Despite the possibility of freeing him from his quasi-incarceration being dangerous, Mona knew that Treasure Knight’s chiefest interest was his namesake. With The Valley now out of his control, he would have to look elsewhere to build up his trove once more, and Mona was convinced that this would be his top priority. He was definitely a man of commerce… a prince of business. He would surely understand Mona’s offer… he might even consider it a steal. After all, freedom to plunder the high seas, in exchange for a little old piece of personality? A peach of a deal, from his point of view. Gold was his god, and Mona was about to perform a miracle.

“Awake?” Mona asked, as she heard Missy stir in the bed behind her.

“Mhmm..?” Missy replied, groggily.

“Good. Summon your old cloak and get dressed. I don’t want any overt reminders of our previous… transaction.”

Mona herself had changed into the burgundy gown she’d made for herself some time ago. Distancing themselves visually from the raid would be best for business relations. Missy dutifully got up and changed, and then the two Enchantresses exited the inn they were staying at and summoned their cart for the trek down to the beach.

“This is going to be delicate,” said Mona, as they rode along, “Treasure Knight is a reasonable man, for the most part, unless gold is involved.”

“So, can we buy his Essence off him?” asked Missy.

“…We might have been able to,” said Mona, ruefully, “had we not robbed him blind first.”

Missy gaped, “What?!”

“As I’m sure you know, Treasure Knight is a pirate. He bankrupted half The Valley before the Order imploded. My partner and I were tasked with helping many villagers regain their lost lucre. In the process, we kind of… helped ourselves.”

Mona couldn’t help but smirk a little at the memory. It had been a highly amusing experience… though she supposed it cost them more now than it was worth. Which was saying a lot.

“I’m going to need your mood magic on standby,” said Mona, “Just in case.”

Missy nodded firmly and pressed her hands together, a swell of spring air enveloping her.

Soon enough, the pair arrived at the beach, dismounted from their carriage, and headed to the water. Mona paid a nearby dockworker to use her boat, then climbed in and rowed out towards the hulking hull of the Iron Whale.  
Mona could see the blockade behind it as they moved, and wondered if she could banish something so enormous. She could at least help smuggle repair parts to the ship, using a combination of magic and manpower. But she was quickly snapped out of her vague plans by several splashing sounds. Ahead, three Gulper Mages had risen out of the water, bobbing at the surface limply, their arms raised defensively.

“Hold it right there!” shouted one of them, dangerously, “Ya be entering private waters.”

“Undoubtedly,” Mona muttered, before speaking up, “Greetings! Please, do not be alarmed, gentleman. I wish to speak to your captain.”

There was a chorus of wet chuckles.

“An audience with the captain? And what makes ye think we’ll give it to ya?”

“We remember you,” hissed the nearest one, “Sauntering about the hold like a princess. Ha! Ya didn’t miss anything; we got nothing left to steal!”

“I’m not here to take, but to trade,” replied Mona, calmly, “Which is why I wish to speak to your captain.”

She nudged Missy with her foot, and felt her aura grow beside her.

“I have a deal I think he’ll find most advantageous.”

“And why should we trust ye, pray tell?” asked the rightmost mage, though there was a hint of uncertainty in his voice. It seemed Missy’s magic was beginning to work.

“Because, as you so rightly pointed out, there is nothing left to steal.” This was not true, of course; if Mona could get her hands on the marvel that was the Iron Whale, she absolutely would. But for the moment… “If it were something that could be taken by force, it would be gone already. But what I want is something only your captain can give freely. Which is why I am at his mercy.”

There was a long silence. The smell of spring air was almost unbearably sweet.

“…Very well. Don’t move a muscle.”

With a soft sploosh, the leftmost Gulper Mage disappeared under the water, whilst the two others remained beside the rowboat, squinting at its passengers with their beady, glowing eyes.

After some time, the mage returned, giving a signal to his crew mates. With that, the other two thrust their hands towards the boat, and a thin layer of water rose up out of the sea and enclosed it in a large bubble. A moment later, the craft began to sink beneath the waves. Missy stared out of the transparent barrier with great interest.

“Ooh! Water magic!” she squealed, “Amazing!”

Mona couldn’t help but agree. The mages moved through the water as gracefully as any fish, gliding in a triangular formation and bringing the boat to the underside of the hull. A large opening was visible there, and soon enough the tiny craft was inside. A short trip through several wheel-operated gates later, and the watery seal fell away, allowing Mona and Missy to step out into a damp metal chamber.   
Mona recognized this place. It had once been the final vault in Treasure Knight’s massive haul. It was empty, now, save for a desk and a few large, metal packing crates. Treasure Knight himself was sitting at the lone piece of furniture, going over something on a ledger. Mona couldn’t help but be bizarrely reminded of herself.  
The Gulper Mages trooped on, escorting the two women limply into the room. On land, they were less gainly than in the water, and tended to sag a little, though Mona was sure they were still dangerous. 

“Hmm. Thrr yr rr.” 

Treasure Knight straightened up and tucked the barrel of his cannon arm under the lip of his helmet. A dribble of water leaked out as he spoke.

“So… an emissary of the Explodatorium wishes to speak with me. Now this… this is rich.”

“Potentially, yes,” said Mona, completely unabashed. It was thief to thief; there was no shame here, “I’m sure your men have informed you of my mission here.”

“Indeed,” rumbled Treasure Knight, “You are here to offer me a deal for something… unique?”

“Very unique,” Mona agreed, “So I’ll get straight down to brass tacks. You are currently trapped here, yes? Through my partner’s interference.”

Treasure Knight was silent, but Mona refused to allow him to fluster her, “The Explodatorium stranded you here, it is so. But the Potionarium is willing to set you free, and for a comparative trifle…”

“Which is?”

“Your Essence.”

There was another silence. Treasure Knight shifted ever so slightly forwards in his chair.

“…Go on. What do you have to offer, alchemist?”

“Replacement parts for your ship, and safe passage out. Subterfuge and distraction are our specialties,” said Mona, “I can assure you an effortless escape to waters yet unplumbed. All I ask is a moment to safely remove your Essence. It will be far less painful than the first time…”

Treasure Knight readjusted his sitting position slowly, as if mulling over her words. 

“Interesting. Is my Essence so important to you?” he asked, “To risk your new reputation as a hero?”

“Justice has been done,” replied Mona, “You’ve suffered your punishment already, and our task is completed, so I see no point in actively prolonging the situation. But you are correct; there is risk involved. Which is why I ask for this simple recompense.” 

“…I’ll never understand you alchemists,” said Treasure Knight, at length, “But I long for the open sea.”

Mona stayed silent, not wanted to rush a confirmation and look desperate. 

“Your deal is, however, superfluous,” said Treasure Knight, rising to his full height, “For you’ve already brought me exactly what I desire.”

In a second, two of the Gulper Mages had seized Mona’s wrists in vicelike grips, and the third had restrained Missy, who let out a little shriek of shock.  
Mona flinched back, but found that the mages were, as suspected, still quite strong on land. 

“Hmph. I should have suspected. What do you want?” Mona asked, scowling up at the towering Knight. He was one of the few people who exceeded her own stature, and his added bulk made him absolutely monstrous. 

“Nothing, from you,” replied Treasure Knight, calmly, “Your presence is all I require.”

“What? Do you want me to alchemize your trove back into existence?” Mona snarked, already knowing the answer.

As predicted, Treasure Knight slammed his free hand onto his desk with a frightening bang, causing its contents to jump.

“You know very well what I think of your practices,” he hissed, “You alchemists know nothing of the true value of gold. Your mockeries of it reveal exactly the kind of backwards vermin you are. But you are not above bargains yourself, are you? No… Everyone can be bought, at the right price. And I have discovered now what he prizes above all.”

Mona’s sneer dropped immediately.

“What are you on about?” she snapped, more sharply than she would have wanted.

“There is no hope of recovering my trove,” said Treasure Knight, bitterly, “But I can still have my revenge. And isn’t that nearly as good?”

“That– That isn’t–“ Mona spluttered, her temperature rising, “You are the Essence of Avarice! Your treasure–“

“Was taken from me,” Treasure Knight advanced on her, slowly, “Is that all you see me as? A single facet? One side of a coin? So simple in my pursuits that I cannot even feel?”

Mona gritted her teeth.

“I will avenge my loss. Surely you understand? As a hero of justice, you know justice must be done…”

Suddenly, there was a faint crackle from somewhere above. Mona looked up to see one of the huge metal storage crates jump from its place on the ground to the air above Treasure Knight’s head in a flash of green magic. Treasure Knight, it seemed, noticed as well.  
There was a loud BOOM and a blast of smoke, followed by two equally loud crashes. When the haze cleared, Treasure Knight was standing unharmed, between two jagged halves of the broken container. With a clanking of chains and another monumental clang, his anchor landed point-down on the floor, denting it severely. A screeching noise followed as the weapon was slowly retracted.

“Srr… Yrr rr mrgrk yrsr…” murmured Treasure Knight, unintelligible through his helmet.

Missy trembled, her eyes wide and terrified. It seemed her little trick had been in vain this time.

“Go back to your castle,” continued the Knight, pushing up his helmet once more, “And tell your leader I have something of his.”

The mage holding Missy made to pull her to the door.

“Moany!” cried Missy, desperately.

“Missy. Do as he says,” Mona said, looking the girl dead in the eyes, “Go get Plague Knight.”

After a moment’s hesitation, Missy stopped struggling, and allowed the Gulper Mage to escort her out. As he did so, Mona turned back to Treasure Knight.

“I hope you know I’ll turn you into experimentation fodder if anything happens to her,” she said, shooting him a stoney glance as she was frogmarched to one of the storage crates. 

“She is of no interest to me,” replied Treasure Knight, calmly, adjusting his anchor with a soft click, “It is Plague Knight who owes me a debt.” 

Mona watched him return to his desk as the mages tied her to a handle on the side of the crate. Considering they were using nothing but rope revealed something very interesting to her. Treasure Knight and his men believed her a simple alchemist. They didn’t know she could use magic. And it seemed that, from the outset, they had no interest in bargaining with her…  
She did feel foolish, having accidentally played right into Treasure Knight’s hands -er, hand and cannon- but at this point it didn’t matter. He would never have accepted anything less than revenge. As little as she wanted to involve her partner in this situation, it seemed she had no choice.

‘Sorry, Plaguey,’ she thought to herself, glumly.

 

Mona sat quietly in her place, leaning against the crate and watching the Gulper Mages guarding her.

“Aren’t you two feeling a little dry?” she asked, yawning loudly.

The mages didn’t react beyond glancing at her briefly. Mona stuck out her tongue at them petulantly, then went back to waiting. To her great surprise, she didn’t have to wait nearly as long as she thought she would. For just a scant few hours later, there was a grinding as the door into the vault opened, and another pair of Gulper Mages brought her partner into the room. From what she could tell, he appeared to be wearing his new cloak. Mona couldn’t help but chuckle to herself. Either he’d been practicing since he’d gotten it, or he was feeling terribly cocky. Knowing Plague Knight, it could be either one. Or both.

“Hee! Treasure Knight! Resorted to kidnapping and ransom, eh? Too old to do the plundering yourself, anymore, heehee? Or are you still licking your wounds from–“

At that point, Plague Knight turned and caught sight of Mona tied to the nearby crate.

“Mona! There you are!”

He made to rush to her side, but the Gulper Mages immediately closed in between both of them. Plague Knight rolled a bomb into his hand, preparing to dispatch them, but was interrupted by Treasure Knight’s approach. The nautical Knight towered over the little alchemist, nearly twice his size. Plague Knight stared up at him defiantly, completely unintimidated.

“Alchemist.”

“Pirate.”

“I believe you know why you are here.”

“Hee! I’m pretty sure I said so when I came in. Can you hear me in there?!” Plague Knight shouted, then giggled, “Heehee!! Either way I’m not paying! I’m taking Mona, and we’re getting out of here!”

“Oh, I don’t want your paltry share of my gold,” rumbled Treasure Knight, “I want another chance to smash your fragile little skull into the hull of my ship.”

Plague Knight cackled, “Whoa, heehee, brutal! Unfortunately, I’m going to have to decline, I–“

Treasure Knight waved his hand, and his mages advanced on Mona. Plague Knight stiffened.

“You wouldn’t.”

“It’s funny, about people like us,” said Treasure Knight, calmly, “We have few scruples in taking what we want. Wouldn’t you agree, Plague Knight?” 

There was a long silence. The Gulper Mages backed off, then left the room entirely, carrying Treasure Knight’s desk with them.

“…Hee! You know, if you wanted a rematch, you could have just asked,” said Plague Knight, finally, as his robes flickered from red and green to black and blue.

“Ah… But what would be the fun in that?”

A second later, Treasure Knight had leapt backwards and skidded across the floor, firing off his anchor with a loud boom. Simultaneously, Plague Knight burst high into the air and readied his bombs. 

Mona watched in silence, a sense of excitement and anxiety vying for supremacy in her gut. On one hand, Mona was rather embarrassed to admit that she loved watching Plague Knight fight people. There was just something so deliciously exhilarating about watching him beat someone twice his size into a quivering lump. On the other hand, Plague Knight had told her about previous matches with the bounty hunter. Treasure Knight was so big and strong that he was nearly impossible to damage, and his thick, sturdy diving suit didn’t help matters. The first time they’d fought, Plague Knight had taken advantage of his greed, using his bombs to destabilize an enormous pile of gold and send it pouring down to bury its collector. The second time, he’d turned the Knight’s bulk against him, tricking him onto the edge of the Tower’s balcony and using a well-placed explosion to send him careening off, and another to stymie his grappling anchor.   
This time, however, there were no windows and no mountains of gold. Nothing at all, in fact, for Plague Knight to make use of, except perhaps the metal packing crates. But considering the way Treasure Knight had made quick work of Missy’s escape attempt earlier… 

Anxiety won out over excitement a moment later when Mona noticed something that would have made her heart skip if it were still beating.   
Treasure Knight’s anchor swerved in midair, swooping upwards in an arc and heading directly for Plague Knight. The little alchemist was barely able to burst his way to safety, narrowly missing the anchor’s point and landing poorly on the ground below. There was a loud CLANK as the weapon reached the end of its tether, then fell to the ground with a crunch and screeched back to its place inside Treasure Knight’s cannon.

Plague Knight leapt to his feet and backed up, giggling madly.

“Heeheehee!! You mad mollusc, you!! That thing’s bespelled, isn’t it?!”

Treasure Knight ran his hand over the length of the cannon, lightly.

“Rr srrmpr prrcrrtrnn,” he muffled, a faint note of vindictive pleasure in his deep voice.

This only made Plague Knight laugh louder.

“Weeheehee!! Why not just admit defeat? You’ve already proven you can’t beat me without cheating!!”

Treasure Knight responded with his own bass guffaw and pushed up his helmet with his thumb to be heard.

“Truly, Plague Knight, if you were as rich as your words, I’d have bothered robbing you face to face.”

BOOM. Another anchor shot. Plague Knight dodged out of the way, but found the hunk of metal immediately on his tail. He hit the ground, then rolled over as the tip impaled itself in the floor next to him with a horrific crash.   
That was enough for Mona. In seconds, she’d banished her restraints and leapt to her feet. Treasure Knight caught sight of her doing so, momentarily glancing in her direction, but turned back to the battle almost immediately. It seemed she wasn’t considered a threat. Plague Knight, however, seemed much more interested in her movement, and cried out to her.

“Mona! Get out of here– I’ll finish off this overgrown guppy, heeheehee!”

But even as he spoke he had to perform a complicated movement with his Staff of Surging to avoid another shot from Treasure Knight’s cannon. Mona quickly raised her hands and banished the crate she’d been tied to on top of Treasure Knight’s head. 

‘Destroy this one without your anchor!’ she thought, grinning.

Unfortunately, Treasure Knight was also surprisingly agile for his size. He threw himself backwards, yanking the anchor after him, avoiding the crate by inches. Mona cursed, quietly, but her interference had managed to score one good outcome; the crate had fallen between Treasure Knight and his anchor, meaning he wouldn’t be able to retract it easily. Mona took the opportunity to rush to Plague Knight’s side.

“Plague Knight!”

“Mona!”

And before they knew it, they were in each others arms. Mona squeezed Plague Knight tightly, burying her face reflexively in the crook of his neck. She hadn’t seen in him weeks, and she realized now with visceral clarity how much she’d missed him. The only thing that hurt more was remembering that she had to let go. Realizing she was holding him off the ground, Mona stooped again and put her partner down, backing up quickly.

“Hee! What on earth is going on?!” Plague Knight cried, “How did that slimy sea-monkey get his hand on you?”

“I’ll explain later,” lied Mona, hearing the sound of scraping metal and backing up, “We have to figure out how to defeat him!”

Treasure Knight’s anchor was extremely heavy and unnervingly fast. If it landed a direct hit on Plague Knight, he was toast. Not even down for the count; the damn thing would shatter his spine like a champaign flute. 

“Does your special cloak have any answers?” Mona asked, as the huge metal packing crate slid across the ground with a screech.

“Hee! Let’s see!” chirped Plague Knight, “Now stay out of the way!”

Wasting no time, Plague Knight barrelled right at the crate, leapt over it, and rained a shower of bombs down on Treasure Knight. From the bright flash of pale pink light and the blast of fire in several directions, it seemed to have been a Component Powder bomb. This was enough to push Treasure Knight back, but another anchor blast sent Plague Knight running for his life. Bursting to the left, Plague Knight just managed to outrun the length of the chain once again, and he let out of a whoop of triumph as he landed.

“Hee! I could do this all day!” he called, gayly, swinging his staff towards his enemy and producing a large, fish-shaped bomb which wiggled off towards him, “Can you?!”

Treasure Knight ran directly at the Bait Bomb and kicked it, hard. It sailed through the air and detonated harmlessly just before it landed. Just as it did so, he fired off his anchor once again. This time, however, Plague Knight’s luck took a turn for the worse. Bursting into the air, he managed to evade the oncoming missile at first. Unfortunately, his cloak decided it best at this time to choose the Float Burst, which slowed Plague Knight’s momentum as the anchor rerouted itself.

“NO!”

Mona leapt forwards, sublimating into a ghost of black smoke, and reforming seconds later to grab ahold of the chain and yank as hard as she could. She nearly felt her arms dislocate as the anchor continued on its path, but she had managed to change its course, if only a little. Plague Knight had simultaneously cancelled his burst, and hit the ground, with the anchor so close Mona could have told it to stay the hell away from her boyfriend. This proximity, unfortunately, had trapped one of his trailing sleeves between the anchor and the ground, and Plague Knight struggled desperately to free himself.

Mona moved to help him, but felt something solid slam into her roughly from one side, sending her toppling back. Treasure Knight had shoved past her, and was now approaching Plague Knight.

“Get away from him!” Mona shouted, trying to right herself.

But just as she was seriously worried about her partner, there was a loud crackle of electricity and a flash of light, accompanied by a groan of pain from Treasure Knight. Spark Powder! Oh, thank goodness! Or rather, thank alchemy.  
Stunned by the electrical attack, Treasure Knight tottered, swiping at the air blindly with his huge hand. Plague Knight, meanwhile, managed to scuttle away in the confusion.

“Mona!” he cried, “Hee! I’ve got it!”

“Got it?”

Plague Knight seemed to be a little worse for wear– his breath was ragged and there was a slight wobble to his movements. Mona wasn’t sure what kind of hit Treasure Knight had managed to get in before Plague Knight had stopped him, but it appeared to have been at least half decent. Despite this, her partner appeared to be just as lively as ever.

“I should have thought of it sooner! Here,” he shoved a Spark Bomb into her hands, just as his cloak changed colour once again, “When he fires, toss this at him!”

“Got it,” said Mona, turning to face Treasure Knight, who was quickly recovering. 

Plague Knight leapt away from her, then, readying himself for his master plan. Treasure Knight turned towards them, drunkenly, raising his cannon arm for -hopefully- the last time.   
BOOM! Out came the anchor, and that was Mona’s signal to throw her bomb. At the same moment, Plague Knight burst into the air in a shower of alchemical frost, raining shards of ice in his wake. Mona lobbed her explosive underhand, and it bounced across the floor to detonate at Treasure Knight’s feet. Overwhelmed by the sudden onslaught of electricity and ice, Treasure Knight did not notice where Plague Knight had gone. And that was right behind him.

It was over in a second. Treasure Knight’s anchor ploughed into his own torso, sending him flying backwards. Though his body slowed its momentum, the anchor continued to chase Plague Knight, who ran from it, whooping with glee. Treasure Knight’s body hit the ground with a sickening thud, and as he keeled over the anchor slid over his helmet with a screech, and made one last attempt on Plague Knight’s life. Luckily, he was far too fast. With one, final BANG, the weapon impaled itself in the wall, then fell to the ground, and lay as motionless as its owner.

The comparative silence was deafening, broken only by Plague Knight’s soft footsteps and his giggles. 

“Heehee!! Did you like our rematch, Treasure Knight?” he crowed, “How’s THAT for an anchor! Weeheehee! Get it? Like encore? Because we’ve fought three times now, and…”

He trailed off, shaking his head, and quickly made his way over to Mona.

“Hee… Hee… Wow… I’m actually a little dizzy,” he murmured, tottering into her hip and sagging there.

Mona glanced from Plague Knight to Treasure Knight’s supine figure. She had to get his Essence. Now. Before he woke up. Despite the power of that anchor, Mona was sure it hadn’t downed him for good.

“Plague Knight, you look awful,” said Mona, quickly, “You need to rest.”

“Hee! I’m fine, Mona, I just need to catch my breath,” Plague Knight insisted, tucking his hand inside his robes and drawing out his bottle of sweet vitriol, before taking a hearty sniff. 

“You need a proper healer,” said Mona, disapprovingly, “You–“

There was a scraping, grinding noise from behind them as the great metal door opened. For a moment, Mona was worried the Gulper Mages were back, but to her great relief, it was Missy instead. Perfect!

“Missy! Come take Plague Knight outside,” called Mona, meaningly, steering her partner towards the door, “He needs tending to!”

“Oh, right away!” replied Missy, quickly rushing to their side.

Mona promptly summoned one of her health potions and dumped it into Plague Knight’s arms to further impede him.

“I said, I’m fine!” squawked the little alchemist, trying to unload the large glass bottle, but Missy had her hands on him by now.

“It’s okay, Sir Plague Knight! There’s no shame in needing a little rest after such a big fight! I heard it through the walls, it sounded terrifying! You have to tell me all about it!”

With a slam, the door closed behind them, and Mona lost no time in hurrying to Treasure Knight’s collapsed figure. She set to drawing the necessary alchemical symbols and pouring out the correct powders, before standing back and thrusting out her hand.

‘Alright, Avarice,’ she thought to herself, ‘You’re mine..!’

It was a bit of a struggle to free the Essence from its owner. It seemed Treasure Knight was still unwilling to part with anything, even while unconscious. But eventually, Mona managed to coax out the glowing blue sphere, which rose out of the Knight’s chest and bathed the chamber in its glow as the casing broke away. Beneath was the Essence of Avarice, a gleaming whirl of gold and plum. Mona tucked it away into her portable decanter, then hastened to rejoin Missy and Plague Knight outside.

“…broke a few ribs, heehee,” Plague Knight was saying, in between sips of his bubbling red medicine, “but they should be straightening themselves out now. No harm done! Anyway, after that it was only a matter of stunning him again so I could use his stupid anchor against him, heeheehee!”

“Oh, Moany! Is everything okay?” asked Missy, looking up at Mona with a cautiously questioning look on her face.

“Perfectly fine,” said Mona, shooting her a small smirk, “And how are things out here?”

“Sir Plague Knight is telling me about the battle!” chirped Missy, beaming widely. 

“Perhaps a bit too much,” said Mona, her smirk growing, “Plague Knight, finish your juice first.”

Plague Knight pointed his beak up at her, sharply.

“I’m drinking as fast as I can!” he squawked. 

“Not fast enough,” Mona said, ruefully, “We should really be leaving… Here.”

She waited for Plague Knight to hastily gulp down the rest of his potion, then scooped him and Missy up in either arm and took three, careful steps. The ungainly fashion in which she’d taken them did not exactly help her trajectory, and instead of ending up at what she distantly remembered as the nearby inn, they appeared some ways down the beach, under a dock. 

“…Well, this is out of the Whale, at least,” Mona muttered, with a deep sigh. 

“Heehee! Is this not what you were picturing? I thought you’d mastered teleportation by now,” said Plague Knight, brushing down his robes and getting his bearings.

“I’m still having trouble,” Mona muttered, moodily. 

“Then you must be an excellent teacher,” Plague Knight chuckled, warmly.

“Huh?”

“Well, your protégé certainly learned how, didn’t she?”

Mona turned to Missy, who was looking shy. 

“I figured it out, Moany! I was so scared when Treasure Knight got you, and I wanted to bring Sir Plague Knight back as quick as I could, so I sort of just…”

Missy skipped a few steps, then hopped forwards. Nothing happened.

“Oh! Rats,” Missy pouted, “I guess it was a fluke in the heat of the moment…”

“I’ll say, heehee!” giggled Plague Knight, “You two are two little semi-magical green peas in a pod! Missy and Mooooany! Heeheehaha!”

Mona grimaced. He’d caught onto that, had he?

“Well, I think it would be best if we headed back to the inn and took a good rest, yes? That potion still needs to set, Plaguey.”

Plague Knight tittered, and fell into step beside her as she headed out from under the dock.

“Moany Fusspot Mopes, heeheehee! You’ll never change.”

“I’ll change you into a toadvolt if you keep that up,” she snapped back, but she couldn’t help but blush a little at the affectionate note in his voice. 

 

When the group arrived back at the inn, the stars were well up in the sky. Plague Knight hopped onto one of the beds and spread out with a deep sigh of contentment. It seemed he’d warmed to the idea of relaxing after all.

“Hee! What a day. First I have to make some serious adjustments to my experiments, then my partner gets kidnapped! What else could go wrong?”

“I’m sure everything will be fine, now,” Missy assured him, taking her spot on the other bed. 

Mona sat on the chair by the window that she’d occupied that morning. 

“Heh, come to think of it, how DID you get kidnapped?” asked Plague Knight, shuffling a little to look at Mona, “And what are you doing out here, anyway?”

Mona tried not to wince.

“…I was… I…”

“We were just working on our very secret experiment!” cried Missy, “Looking for ingredients on the beach! And then he just snatched us up!”

Mona stared, wild-eyed, freezing in terror as Missy blabbed her poorly constructed lie. But a moment later, Plague Knight tittered.

“Hee! Doesn’t that mangey mudskipper know when to leave well alone? We beat him fair and square!” he sat up a little more, leaning towards Mona, “Did he interrupt your collection, Mona? I’ll go back out with you if you need a little protection. Promise I won’t peek!” 

Relief washed over Mona as soundly as the waves washed over the beach. He’d bought the fib -though it was more of an omission of the facts- and was even offering to help in a non-intrusive fashion… Oh Plaguey. He really was the absolute sweetest little alchemist on the planet.  
Mona was momentarily overcome with emotion, which quickly melted into guilt. She’d had to deceive him in order to obtain Treasure Knight’s Essence, and she’d put him in danger in the process. If that anchor had found its mark… Mona bit the inside of her lip and tried not to express any of what she was feeling. How heartless could she be? Sacrificing his wellbeing for her own ends… even if those ends were very important. …She had to make it up to him.

“…Well, I… would like you to go out… with me…” said Mona, slowly, standing up, “Ah… wait here.”

Ducking out of the room, Mona nearly dashed down the stairs before she felt the flask at her hip bump into her, lightly. Ah! Treasure Knight’s Essence! She had to go put that away as quickly as possible.   
Taking three, measured steps, she teleported back to the Potionarium, arriving in the main chamber, on top of a nearby crate. Climbing off and shaking her head in annoyance, Mona quickly shimmied under the tarps and fed Treasure Knight’s golden-purple Essence into the Dynamo Decanter. With a satisfying hum and many alarming splashes and clashes, the Essence made its way through the maze of pipes and glassware until it landed, spinning gracefully alongside its two fellows.

‘Three down… Six to go,” Mona thought to herself grimly, before teleporting to Plague Knight’s side.

Luckily, Plague Knight seemed to be drowsing when she arrived, and wasn’t quick enough to spot her disconcerting reappearance next to his bed. Giving Missy a small wave and rushing downstairs, Mona made for the main floor of the inn. Like most inns, that space was in the form of a bar or restaurant, with the rooms to rent upstairs. When she’d first entered the place, she remembered seeing a few posters up on the walls for some kind of weekly entertainment… 

“Excuse me,” said Mona, reaching the bar and glancing at the signs posted on the walls, “How much is it for the… Theatrical Thursdays?”

The innkeeper, who was just closing up, amiably gave her the price, as well as a little extra information on the subject. Every Thursday, tables could be reserved at the bar for a little extra gold to watch a slew of local and traveling performers. Apparently it was very popular.   
Mona thought this would be a perfect spot for a date. She knew Plague Knight had a fondness for theatre, and she also knew travelling actors tended to be awful. From experience. Setting up another date for the two of them was a risky move on her part, as it steered away from her plan of gradually drifting away from him, for his own good. Yet she still felt she owed him something for his selfless acts, and her guilt would not leave her alone. So a most-likely mediocre rendezvous seemed like a good enough compromise in her books.

Just as she was paying the innkeeper, however, she heard footsteps behind her, and turned to catch a glimpse of two people walking around the bar and heading for a back room. One of them Mona recognized as Chester, the travelling merchant. The other… the other was a red-boned skeleton.   
Mona’s eyes widened, and she quickly thanked the innkeeper for his help, before hurrying out of his line of sight and sinking into a cloud of black mist on the floor. She drifted towards the place she’d seen the pair go, then rose up to her full height and pressed against a door marked ‘pantry’ to listen.

“…don’t have any of those in stock,” Chester was saying, “but you never know what I’ll find next. Why not check back in a few days, and–“

His words were cut off suddenly, followed presently by a low chuckle in the back of his throat.

“Hey now… You’re not the patient type, huh?”

“I am not looking for any old trinket,” came a musical voice Mona didn’t recognize, “I want to know where the object known as the Phase Locket is. I am sure you can help me there?”

“I might be able to. If you move that oh-so pretty blade just a little.”

“That, unfortunately, I cannot do,” replied the voice, “until I am certain I can trust you. And, unfortunately, mijo, I don’t.”

Chester sighed, “You know, I have a very strict customer confidentiality clause.”

“And I have a very sharp knife. I am sorry, Mr. Chester, but this is a truth I must find. I owe it to a dear friend. You understand, don’t you?”

After a silence, Chester finally spoke again.

“Weeell, lady, you drive a hard bargain… All I can tell ya is that I sold the thing to the Blue Burrower himself. Where it is now, I can’t say.”

The conversation probably continued, but Mona had heard all she needed. Snaking away from the door and into the bar, Mona reformed and sat inconspicuously at one of the tables, waiting for the red skeleton emerge. When she did, Mona waited for her to exit the inn, then followed her into the streets.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Long time no see! Sorry for the wait; I've been pretty busy for the last little while and my writing concentration has been really poor. However! Here is another chapter, at last! Plague Knight's back, and he'll be more involved in the story now! Gosh I missed his snarky giggles. 
> 
> Also, since this chapter contains Treasure Knight, I'll include some of the translations for his mumbles, in order of occurrence.
> 
> "Hmm. There you are."  
> "So... You're a magic-user..."  
> "A simple precaution."
> 
> Anyway, thanks for sticking with me despite the wacky schedule! Next time, we'll discover the fate of the Phase Locket, and what lies in store for Mona! Seeya (hopefully) soon! --T.S.


	13. The Loss

Mona spent the next few hours tailing the red boneclang, following her every move and detour. She slunk after her as a silent shadow, keeping out of sight, speeding across the ground in a low black cloud. It was easy to stay hidden this way in the dark of night. 

The boneclang went from the inn to a stable, where she took back her skeletal steed. Luckily, Mona could move fast enough in her intangible form to follow it. As the steed galloped across the land, it left the village and made its way out into the surrounding wilderness. It moved across the dark blue meadows and hills, a lone, faint thudding against the silent, dark earth. Neither it nor its rider seemed to know they were being followed.

After a short period, the steed came to a stop at a patch of bare earth, and the boneclang dismounted. Mona came to a stop and fell back to watch from a safe distance. Couldn’t be too careful.  
The boneclang began to busy herself with something Mona couldn’t quite make out from her vantage point. After a while, Mona thought perhaps she was making camp. Just as Mona was hunkering down for a long stay, however, there was a sudden, etherial glow. Out of the ground came several new boneclangs, who all stood to attention in front of Mona’s lead. The undead ranged in appearance, from fairly freshly stripped of flesh to ancient and only partly-formed. Some were missing limbs; one was even missing a head.

The skeletal woman raised her hands and addressed the group in a foreign language. Luckily for Mona, she happened to understand it. During her childhood, she’d been made to learn all sorts of academic skills to make her more worthy of the court. How to play music, how to dance, how to calculate numbers and navigate politics… and of course, how to speak several new tongues. 

‘I know our target now,’ the boneclang was telling her cohorts, ‘Go and pass on the message; spread out in search of the Knight in blue armour. He is known as the Blue Burrower, or the Shovel Knight. Listen and look where you can, and report back to me once you have found him.’

The other skeletons saluted, then disappeared back into the ground from whence they came. Mona stared. She supposed this woman had the same idea as she did; send a whole troupe out to do your dirty work for you… Mona wondered idly whether boneclangs were cleverer than minions as she settled down to wait.

Unfortunately, silent darkness usually boded ill for Mona. As much as she liked solitude, she liked it because it allowed her to concentrate on things that would be trickier in the presence of, say, a bustling bar. Her back room was dim and quiet, but it was also peaceful. Her refuge from the outside world. A place where she could study and hypothesize to her heart’s content. But without a book and quill in her hands, Mona’s overactive mind wandered to other, more troubling things.  
How long would it take the boneclangs to find their mark? Would they bring Shovel Knight straight here? Or would this woman have to ride her steed down a faraway path? If Mona wanted to follow her, she might be gone for days. Weeks. The last known whereabouts of the Blue Burrower were situated at his modest little cottage, where he was said to be taking care of his partner. But that was long ago, now… who knew where he could have gotten to in the interim?

Mona’s heart sank in her incorporeal chest. She’d left the inn without telling anybody. Even Missy didn’t know where she was. What would she and Plague Knight think when she didn’t come back? What if Missy spilled the beans? What if Plague Knight began to get suspicious? The idea made Mona sick with anxiety. She needed to keep everything under control, yet she couldn’t leave her post…   
Maybe she could send a note? She could certainly summon a piece of paper and her quill and banish the letter. But then, Mona still wasn’t particularly accurate with her magic. Banishing letter perfectly into Missy’s cloak pocket would be nearly impossible, and sending it into Plague Knight’s vicinity would be incredibly foolhardy unless her message was encoded… or an excuse.  
Yes! Maybe she could send them an excuse! Like… Perhaps she’d gone back to the beach to look for those ‘ingredients’ she’d been picking up there when Treasure Knight had ‘kidnapped’ her. But then… supposing Plague Knight went to check? He was naturally curious, and he had offered to have her back should she go to the beach again. Probably best not to risk it… Rats.  
Mona gave a very soft, sibilant sigh and swirled a little bit, brooding. She would just have to pray to whatever gods were in the area that Shovel Knight was nearby, so that she could get back quickly. Or at least by Thursday, when her date was scheduled…  
Of course, even if she did manage to find Shovel Knight in time it didn’t necessarily mean things would go smoothly. There was, of course, the question of whether Shovel Knight would give up Spectre Knight’s locket willingly.  
It seemed the thing had been sold to him by Chester, somehow. Mona had no idea what Shovel Knight would want with a heart-shaped locket, but perhaps it had been a gift for his partner? That seemed like the sort of romantic thing a Knight would do. Getting it back from him might be very tricky… and even trickier still with this boneclang half a step ahead of her. Yes… this would be a very difficult operation indeed. But she had to complete it. She had to… She needed Spectre Knight’s Essence.

Time always had the disobliging habit of playing tricks on people when they were in certain moods. Somebody working or playing always found time slipping away through their outstretched fingers, the sun moving almost visibly across the sky as they went about their business. All too soon, it was sinking below the horizon, and they had to pack everything away for the day, or else light the lamps and fight off drowsiness.  
But even more excruciatingly, time slowed down to a crawl for those worrying and waiting. And Mona was doing both. Every minute that ticked by seemed to stretch on for eternity, creeping on at a snail’s pace. The only thing that gave Mona comfort were the stars that remained in the sky. As long as this interminable evening felt, at least morning wasn’t approaching yet.

Finally, what seemed like a lifetime later, a rumbling shook the earth, and a single boneclang clawed its way out of the turf. The red boneclang stood to meet her underling, and the two spoke briefly before one returned to the earth, and the other mounted her steed. 

Mona barely resisted whirling up to her full height in her excitement. At long last! And in good time, too! Now was the time to be very, very sneaky. Roiling along the ground behind her quarry, Mona kept her eyes peeled for a horned figure in the distance.   
They rode in tandem, the alchemist and the boneclang, covering swaths of grassy land at a steady pace. To Mona’s surprise and delight, they were just entering the vicinity of the Armour Outpost when a small, pointy silhouette appeared on the horizon in the faint, early light of dawn. Mona put on a burst of speed, passing the boneclang and her steed, and rising up to meet the wandering Knight as she went.

“Shovel Knight,” she called, and the figure turned to her in surprise, raising his blade, “You’re coming with me.”

“Who goes there?!” he cried, before appearing to recognize her, “…Ms. Mona?”

“That’s right. Would you mind taking my hand for a moment?”

The Knight glanced behind her at the oncoming boneclang.

“Er, I don’t mean to alarm you, but it appears that you’re being foll–“

Mona reached out and grabbed Shovel Knight’s hand, then took three, careful steps and disappeared in a flash of blue light just as the sound of whistling and thudding got uncomfortably close.

When Mona touched down a second later, she wasn’t exactly sure where she’d gone, but a quick look around told her she was slightly closer the town she had just left. Its rooftops were just visible on the horizon. She’d moved a fair distance, but not far enough away that her pursuer couldn’t catch up, if given the chance.  
Turning to Shovel Knight, she found the man stumbling back and forth slightly, trying to catch his balance.

“Oof– Zounds! What is going on here?!”

“Sorry,” Mona brushed down her skirts, “I’m in the middle of a very… delicate transaction, and I need your help. I apologize for making such haste in spiriting you away, sir Shovel Knight.”

“Ah, I see… Very well,” said Shovel Knight, straightening up and glancing at her, “I say… I had no idea you had such command of the magical arts, Ms. Mona! Your game in The Village only revealed a mere fraction of your powers!”

“Not as little as you’d think,” Mona muttered, ruefully, before shaking her head. Time to get down to business, before she was found out, “Shovel Knight. I need something from you.”

“Oh? You require my aid? I must apologize– I am preoccupied with a personal situation at the moment and am unable to go on any extensive quests–“

“No, no, I don’t need any Knightly help,” Mona said, impatiently, “What I need is an item you might have. A heart-shaped locket.”

“The Phase Locket?” Shovel Knight tilted his head up in surprise, “Whatever for? Are you not able to replicate its effects with your own magic?”

“No,” said Mona, “It’s not about its effects, whatever they are. I need to return it to someone. It was stolen.”

Shovel Knight gasped, “Stolen?! By the gods– I had no idea! My deepest apologies. I shall of course see to it that it gets back to its rightful owner!”

“By which you mean handing it over to me so that I can deliver it,” said Mona, quickly, holding out her hand.

Shovel Knight hesitated, “Ah, er, yes… But who IS its rightful owner?”

Mona tried not to growl with impatience, “It’s Spectre Knight, so–”

“Spectre Knight? But we are leagues away from the Lich Yard! How–“

“By teleportation,” said Mona, flatly, “Like what I just did to you?”

“Oh! Of course– Silly me!”

“Look, me and Spec…ty go way back. Just give me the locket and I’ll take it right to him.”

“Oh! Very well then! Although… I must tell you, Ms. Mona, that your old friend Spectre Knight has been up to much mischief, as of late!”

Mona felt her temperature rise, “Yes, I know he was part of the Order. But he’s reformed now. Or something. Can you just give me the locket?”

“Ah! I am very glad to hear this. It is always most agreeable to learn that an old foe has become a friend! Here…”

Shovel Knight reached around the back of his helmet and tugged forth a shining metal chain. Mona waited tensely for him to fumble with the clasp. 

‘Come on, come on..!’

Just before he got it open, however, there was a deep rumble from the earth. Shovel Knight let go of the chain and quickly grabbed ahold of his blade, pointing it forth threateningly. Seconds later, three boneclangs leapt out of the earth and advanced on them.

“Back!” cried Shovel Knight, “Back, ye undead! Return to the earth from whence you came!”

“NO!!!” screamed Mona, furiously, “Shovel Knight, just get that locket off! I’ll handle these boneheads!”

Raising her left hand, Mona conjured a trio of Black Powder bombs from the lab. She lit each one and tossed them forwards, simultaneously summoning her cape and using it to shield herself and Shovel Knight from the shrapnel. The boneclangs fell back, one of them disintegrating completely as Mona carefully fastened her cape around her shoulders and summoned another group of bombs.

“Are you sure you don’t need any help?!” cried Shovel Knight, as the ground began to rumble again as more skeletons rose out of it, punching through the dirt and brandishing spears and cutlasses. 

“I’ll be fine! Just GET ME THAT LOCKET!”

Mona moved carefully left and right, tossing bombs and making sure none of the ensuing explosions interrupted her Knightly companion in his task. She really wished he would hurry up, but she supposed wearing those thick gloves made delicate digital operations a bit tricky.

She was just kicking a too-close-for-comfort combatant away from her, when the sound of thudding approached. Mona looked up and cursed. There she was; the red boneclang and her steed. Pulling up short, the woman leapt down and strode forwards.

“Alright, that’s enough! I am here. Thank you very much…”

The surrounding undead immediately stopped attacking Mona and backed away, retreating into the earth below.

“You got that locket, yet?” Mona hissed to Shovel Knight.

“Almost!” he squeaked back.

“Very clever!” called the red boneclang, “You were following me, weren’t you?”

Mona simply shot her a look and folded her arms. In the light of the rising sun, Mona could see her rival properly now. Like all boneclangs, she was completely skeletal, without a scrap of flesh on her, held together by a strange, unseen magic. However, the red colouration of her bones made her stand out. Mona had only seen this variety of undead once before, and that was at the house in the Lich Yard. She wondered, momentarily, what the relation between this woman and Spectre Knight’s friend Red was, if any. The crimson skeleton was dressed in adventuring leathers of a similar make to his, and there was a band around her skull supporting a large, ornamental rose. With a soft hiss, the boneclang drew her blade out of a sheath hanging at her hip, and pointed it at Mona.

“Unfortunately, it seems this is where the competition ends,” she said, calmly.

Mona nodded, eyes steely, “That’s right. I found the locket first. I win.”

“But the terms of the agreement were whoever brought the locket back first, not who found it,” replied the boneclang, without missing a beat.

Mona seethed. There was no trace of malice, contempt or gloating in the woman’s voice, and somehow, this made it even more unbearable to hear. This wasn’t a game to her. Simply a task to be completed. She spoke with the same, measured, gentle tone as she had used with Chester in the storeroom. 

“I intend to bring this back to Spectre Knight. I believe he would prefer to have it back without having to give up anything else. You understand, don’t you? I am sure you are not so heartless.”

Mona bristled, inwardly, but her usual stony expression forced its way onto her countenance.

“I don’t know,” she said, with a shrug, “I can show you how heartless I can be. But I’d really just prefer to get this over with. So… leave. I’m not giving up the locket.

“Um,” Shovel Knight piped up from behind Mona, but she shot him a look to silence him.

“I am sorry to hear that,” said the boneclang, shaking her head, “I was hoping I wouldn’t have to fight you. Despite this strange competition he has set us, I know that Spectre Knight is very fond of you…”

Wheeeeng! 

Drawing back her arm, the boneclang threw her blade with deadly accuracy, and it whistled as it flew directly at Mona’s shoulder. Mona was just fast enough to dodge it, and managed to glimpse it returning to its owner as well. Looking more properly, Mona could see that the knife was attached to a pale, sinewy string that was, in turn, fastened to its sheath.

Great! Another anchor fight. At least this one wasn’t bespelled… But thinking back to the fight with Treasure Knight actually gave Mona an idea. Waving her hand, Mona summoned a crate from the Potionarium onto the boneclang’s head. It fell heavily through the air and crashed into the ground. To Mona’s consternation, however, it did not crush her adversary under its weight. The boneclang leapt forwards, out of the way, and sent off a volley of quick, jabbing strikes with her knife. Mona barely managed to avoid the brunt of them, and she could feel the sharp length of the blade gliding against the sides of her cloak, which she’d pulled tight against her body for protection. The material was reinforced to defend against plenty of things that might crop up in a lab, but unfortunately, direct contact with steel wasn’t exactly one of them. Any closer, and the knife would be able to cut clean through. 

Leaping back, the boneclang flung her weapon out in a wide arc. Mona used this moment to conjure another set of bombs in hopes that their blast radiuses would make short work of her foe. Unfortunately, before she could throw them, the sinew holding the knife to its owner began to wrap around Mona’s body, tugging her legs closer together and throwing off her stance.  
Momentarily, Mona dropped her bombs and tried to fumble in midair to catch the hard-to-see thread before it completely ensnared her, before realizing she had a much better alternative. Melting into a haze of black smoke, Mona billowed away, laughing scornfully.

“Ha! Nice try,” she cried, as the knife flew wildly off into the grass, no longer braced on her solid body.

The boneclang seemed only slightly phased by this, however, leaping and rolling to recover her weapon and then making another slash for Mona’s chest. The blade, of course, passed right through her form, as if cutting through air.

“Just give up already,” said Mona, “I’ve won!”

The woman hesitated, glancing between Mona’s intangible body, then leapt towards Shovel Knight, who stumbled back in surprise.

Blast! Mona cursed herself for overlooking that option and flew after the boneclang, skimming over the ground and returning to corporeality in midair to ram into her. She fell heavily onto her enemy, slamming her into the ground with her whole, considerable weight.

“And stay down!” she shouted.

As she got up, her knee accidentally bucked forwards and collided, hard, with her adversary’s skull. With a hollow crack, the cranium popped right off its vertebrae and rolled away across the grass. Mona took a moment to stare in shock, caught between surprise, horror, guilt and a little bit of sick amusement. But it didn’t matter, did it? She’d seen boneclangs function without their heads before.   
Straightening up, Mona ran to Shovel Knight’s side, grabbed the chain around his neck, and pulled, hard. With a clink, the clasp broke open, and Mona clutched the object tightly in her left hand. The golden, heart-shaped pendant on the end sparkled as it swung in her fist, the blue designs set into it glittering in the rising sun.

“Thank you, Shovel Knight,” she said, one of her unnerving rictus grins creeping onto her face, “Now…”

Mona turned triumphantly and took her three, measured steps. She’d done it! She’d won! She’d actually survived a battle with a clearly more competent fighter, and gotten the locket! She was just a single teleport away from giving it back to Spectre Knight, and–

SCHWUCK.

Just before Mona could dive into the final pirouette, she felt a stab of pain in her left shoulder, and then a very, very uncomfortable lightness. Stumbling to a halt, Mona looked over to her left side and felt the world disappear around her. There was nothing there. Just a flat stump of bloody flesh, severed sinew and protruding bone. Mona opened her mouth to say something, but only a blood-curdling wail emerged.

She was very vaguely aware of the crimson boneclang reattaching her head and making her way back to her steed. She thought she heard her say something apologetically, though it was hard to hear over the pounding in her ears and the babbling from Shovel Knight, who was also at her side.

“…need to get you to the nearest town for medical attention, really!” were the first words that registered properly with her.

Mona turned her head to the little Knight, eyes wide and staring, mouth slightly agape.

“…What?”

“Your arm’s clean off!” he cried, exasperatedly. 

“It’s… fine…” Mona said, slowly, glancing back at the stump, “It’s only… a flesh wound…”

And it really was. It didn’t matter how much blood she lost. She could see it falling to the ground in smoking, blue-purple drops, hissing and spitting as it ate through the grass and fabric of her gown. The detached limb was a few feet away, next to some cracked ground. The fingers were curled into a fist, clutched around nothing. 

There was a long silence.

“You aren’t human, are you?” asked Shovel Knight, at length.

Mona sat down, moving to tuck her arms around her legs before finding that only one would respond. Of course. 

“Not any more,” she mumbled. 

“Are you sure you are okay?”

“…Yes.”

Physically, at least. Sort of. She wasn’t going to die. She was already dead. 

“I feel that there is a larger mystery at work here. One I am not privy to,” said Shovel Knight, at length. 

Mona wasn’t sure why he was still there. She wanted to be alone. She’d failed, and lost not only her chance at Spectre Knight’s Essence, but an entire limb. On a happier day, Mona would have been excited to figure out a way to reattach it. She’d have almost viewed it as an excellent opportunity. She was very interested in prostheses after all, as well as the true capabilities of alchemy. But now she simply felt hollow, and miserable. Besides, Plague Knight was the biological alchemist…

“…Are you sure there is nothing I can do for you?” 

Mona glanced up at Shovel Knight, wondering why on earth he was trying to be so friendly. Didn’t any of the previous situation strike him as suspicious? Didn’t he understand the connection between green skin and powerful magic? He’d been the one to defeat the old witch in the first place…

‘Stop feeling sorry for yourself this instant!’ Mona flinched as a voice in the back of her head elbowed her sharply, ‘There IS something he can do for us! Something you’d better get right now, before you lose him again!’

Mona gasped, then tried to reach for her Portable Decanter, only to remember, again, that her left arm was no longer attached. Reaching around with her right hand, she picked up the bottle and held it out.

“Shovel Knight, I…” she hesitated, “…You wouldn’t be willing to give me your Essence, would you?” 

“My Essence?”

“I need it… for something important. And I think this might be the last time I’ll see you, if you’re on some kind of… personal quest.”

“I-I see. What IS an Essence, pray tell?”

Mona blinked in surprise, “Oh… It’s the summation of someone’s truest self. The culmination of all their life’s experience and accumulated personality. I only need a little, I promise– I have no intention of taking it all.”

“Goodness gracious! I had no idea such a thing existed! And what do you need with a bit of my… self…ness?” 

“I need… its chiefest trait,” Mona muttered. She hoped explaining sufficiently would get Shovel Knight to hand it over. She still didn’t really want to talk to him, “Essences always have one core value that makes up their majority. In your case… It’s Bravery. They’re useful in… potions, and such.”

Shovel Knight chuckled, tapping his fingers thoughtfully against the shaft of his shovel blade.

“Hoho! Bravery, eh? That’s very kind of you to say so.”

Mona raised an eyebrow. It wasn’t kind. It was just true.

“If only it was resourcefulness..! Ha…” a note of sadness entered his voice as he stared off into the distance, “Then perhaps I would more speedily be able to complete my task… and find my dear partner…”

Mona blinked.

“…Wait, Shield Knight? You don’t know where she is?”

Shovel Knight turned to her sharply with a noisy clank of his armour, “Yes! I– Have you seen her, Ms. Mona?!”

“I– Yeah. I have. A while ago, though, so I make no promises about her whereabouts.”

“Any information would be invaluable,” begged Shovel Knight, pressing his gloved hands together.

“Give me your Essence, and I’ll tell you,” said Mona, automatically.

“It is yours,” said Shovel Knight. 

“She was around the Stranded Ship,” Mona replied, “She confronted me and my, er, protégé. She seemed a bit… agitated.”

This was quite an understatement, but she didn’t want to worry the Blue Burrower any further. From the way Shield Knight had been acting, and the fact that Shovel Knight didn’t know where she was… it seemed something had come between them. 

“The Stranded Ship… of course! I’ve been a fool! Oh, thank you!”

Shovel Knight grabbed Mona’s free hand and wrung it. Mona pulled away, sharply. She still didn’t like people touching her without her permission. 

“Agitated, you say? Did she–“ Shovel Knight hesitated, before ploughing on, “Did she mention anything to you about… The Enchantress?”

“…Um. Sort of,” said Mona, nervously, leaning away even farther.

“Alas! It plagues her still! I must find her, and convince her that she is wrong! Ah… My dearest partner… How I’ve failed you…”

Shovel Knight cradled his helmeted head in his hands, “What good is bravery if it cannot save the one you love most..?”

“Well, it’s useful enough to me,” said Mona, quietly tucking away Shovel Knight’s cryptic ravings for later rumination, “Just come with me so we can find a flat patch of ground.” 

 

When the pair had managed to find exactly that, Mona set to setting up her usual summoning circle around Shovel Knight’s feet. Once it was completed, she reached carefully out and began to pull.

“Just stay calm,” she said, as her fingers twitched and jerked, “It won’t hurt a bit.”

It was harder to coax out the Essence with her non-dominant hand. While she could write well enough using her right, her left hand was always her first choice for all activities, and in magic, it seemed to matter most of all.  
Thankfully, a moment later, Mona finally managed to draw out the usual shell of glowing blue light, which broke away to reveal a spinning cerulean orb. 

“Fascinating..!” cried Shovel Knight, “What wondrous power…”

“Yeah,” said Mona, trying to keep the ball of light stable in her hands, “Could you uncap that flask at my hip?”

“Oh! Yes,” Shovel Knight stepped out of the circle and rushed to her side, and Mona tried not to feel too uncomfortable as he fumbled with the Portable Decanter.

The second the container was open, Mona quickly transferred the Essence inside, then popped the top back on smartly. Standing up, Mona hesitated before bending over and scooping up her severed arm. Might as well take it with her… She tucked it under her working arm and carefully drew her cloak around her to hide her wound. Her blood was already clotting, forming a seal over the stump and no longer bleeding freely. Good thing, too; her blood seemed to be corrosive. Or at least extremely hot. 

“Fare thee well, Ms. Mona,” said Shovel Knight, hefting his blade over his shoulder and giving her a little salute, “And thank you for your help.”

“Right… No problem,” Mona muttered, uncertainly, gazing out towards the town, “…Good luck on your quest, sir Shovel Knight.”

\- - -

It was well into morning by the time Mona trudged back into the village. She shambled forwards, putting one foot in front of the other and staring forwards without really seeing. Her subconscious lead her back to the inn, and she was finally able to come back to herself when she noticed Missy waiting out front, looking nervous. The girl’s expression perked up, however, when she caught sight of Mona.

“Oh! Moany! Thank goodness!”

Rushing forwards, Missy came to a stop in front of Mona, looking up at her expectantly.

“So? What did you find? I know you left for secret, potion-related reasons! Did everything go–… Moany? What’s wrong?”

Mona stared down at her, blinking slowly.

“Here, you should come inside. I was talking to Plaguey earlier and he said–“ Missy let out a startled yelp as she reached up to take Mona’s left hand, only to find nothing there, “Oh! Your– Your–“

Mona shook her head and sighed, “Yeah it… came off.”

Missy glanced between Mona and the street, before grabbing for her cape and pulling her into a nearby alleyway.

“Is… Is it gone?” she whispered, conspiratorially. 

“No..?” replied Mona, “I’ve got it here…”

She let the severed limb peek out of her cloak, and Missy immediately looked relieved.

“Oh, thank goodness! Don’t worry, Moany, I’ll have you fixed up in a jiffy!”

Mona had no clue what Missy was talking about, but she was too weary to stop her. The girl quickly put her new powers to good use, concentrating very hard until a sack of coins popped into her hands. Then she set to work placing them in a peculiar pattern on the ground. Mona watched vaguely, having a tough time really registering what was happening.   
Once Missy was done, she stood, back straight, in the middle of an undulation of little gold disks. Raising her arms on either side of her and closing her eyes, she spread her fingers apart and began to speak. Mona couldn’t understand what she was saying, though she could tell it wasn’t in the Old Old language. Whatever it was, it was faintly musical and very wobbly.

All of the sudden, the gold on the ground began to hiss and fizzle, letting off great plumes of greenish smoke. These began to slowly rise into the air and accumulate in the palms of Missy’s hands. Slowly hunching over, Missy’s eyes opened, and with a loud clap, she brought her hands around and slammed them together. The gold pieces on the ground disappeared completely, and when Missy slowly opened her hands, she was cupping a small, burning ember. Blowing on it caused it to roil up into a tiny flame, listing slightly between her fingers. Mona stared.

“Whoa…”

“Here we go!” said Missy, reassuringly, “Okay, please remove your cloak, Moany, and hand me your arm!”

Mona did as she was told, handing Missy the lifeless limb. Missy took it in one hand, still carrying the strange light in the other, then motioned for Mona to lean in close. Carefully, Missy maneuvered Mona’s arm into position, so that the severed ends of her shoulder and upper arm were touching. Then, she brought her free hand on top of the seam and slowly smoothed the greenish flame into the flesh. As Mona watched, the fire sank into her skin, soft as a spring breeze, and lo, she felt the muscles reconnect, the bones slide back into place, and the tissue meld back together like malleable clay. All that remained of the injury was a discoloured seam of skin, showing where the cut had been. Mona willed her limb to move, and sure enough, her scarred fingers twitched. 

“How..?”

“I’m an old pro at healing the undead,” said Missy, gently, “I used to do this for Specty all the time. Potions heal the living… Wisps hold together the departed. …I can’t really fix your sleeve, though. Sorry…”

Mona shook her head. 

“No, it’s… That’s… I…” her mind kept slipping, unable to find a proper way to… what? Praise Missy? Thank her? Voice her awe at such an incredible trick? In the end, she gave up and settled on something else, “…Where’s Plague Knight..?”

“Still in the room,” said Missy, “I managed to convince him to stay in bed. I said you’d be mad if you caught him up and about. I hope it worked…”

Mona nodded, then entered the inn and climbed the stairs. Missy trotted after her.   
Reaching their room, Mona pushed open the door, and glanced in. Plague Knight was standing at the window, his beak poked all the way out of it. From his stance, he seemed to be trying to figure out whether he could make the jump down. He flinched, however, when he heard her come in, rushing guiltily over to the bed and leaping into it.

“Heh! Ah– Mona! There you are! Heeheehee– I-I was just getting up, haha! I’m all better now! Nothing like a good old health po…”

He trailed off, staring.

“Mona..? Are you alright?”

Mona glanced down. She realized that she was shaking. She’d just had an arm torn off and replaced, and it had barely hurt at all. She’d been numb with shock up until this point, but now it was all really dawning on her. For what seemed like the first time, Mona realized how dead she really was. Not only did she not have to breathe, or eat, or sleep, but her body could be rearranged with minimal difficulty and it didn’t mean a thing. It was just a sack of meat. A thin, canvas bag stretched over something… something dreadful… something hot and pulsing and endlessly permutable… Something that simply couldn’t be part of this world.

Mona sunk to her knees as the stress of the last few days caught up with her. Plague Knight immediately sprang off the bed and rushed to her side.

“Mona!”

Mona bent double, pressing her hands over her ears and hearing the slow throbbing of the magic inside her as it rose in temperature, heating her flesh like a fever. She could hear Plague Knight asking Missy what had happened, and Missy replying panically that the kidnapping had finally caught up with Mona.

Suddenly, Mona felt Plague Knight’s arms around her, squeezing her gently, the tips of his talons pressing into her sides just enough to be felt. She felt his beak slide under her chin and nuzzle into it, comfortingly, chucking her ever so slightly.   
She knew she shouldn’t. She knew it would only make things harder. But she couldn’t help it. Wordlessly, she leaned into the embrace, shutting out the world and simply letting him cradle her through the void.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Bit of a bloodier chapter than usual, this one. Once again, I apologize for the long wait time between chapters; it's been a little chaotic recently and my focus for writing has been down the tube... But to those of you still sticking around, thanks so much! I hope you're enjoying the tale as it unfolds. The next chapter is one of my favourites, so hopefully I'll be able to get to it soon!  
> Thanks for reading! Seeya next time! --TS


	14. The Second Chance

“Are you sure you’re okay? Hee!”

“Yes, Plague Knight, for the hundredth time, I’m fine…”

By the time Mona had finally calmed down, it was a little while after lunch. Missy had gone down to the bar to buy food, and Plague Knight was still sitting on the bed next to Mona, fussing.

“I just got a little overwhelmed, that’s all,” she assured him, “…Thanks for sticking by me.”

“Hee! Can’t have you being Weepy Mopes, now can we?”

Mona snorted and rolled her eyes, before glancing back down at him.

“Uh… So how are you feeling?”

“Well-rested and bursting with energy, heeheehee!”

“Good,” Mona paused, hesitating, “Because I… kinda set us up another date.”

Plague Knight flinched a little, before picking at the hem of his tunic, “Oh! A-a date! Heehee! That’s right! This will be number two, won’t it?”

“Yep,” said Mona, “this Thursday night, at the bar downstairs. There’s going to be a show, or something. This time, ah… we can just relax.”

Not that she’d be able to, really. She felt guilty for stringing him along like this, but she had to keep him happy and unaware…   
But she did want to make sure he didn’t try the same tactics as their first, not-to-be-mentioned date. No prepared poems, no gaudy clothing, no worrying about every little detail. Just an easy night in front of some most-likely mediocre entertainment. 

“Hee! Well that sounds lovely! I, uuuhhh… heh! Heehee…”

Mona watched him fidget bashfully, her heart twinging painfully. Though her body no longer felt sensations as clearly as it had when it had lived, her emotions were still as intense and disorienting as always. It was times like these that she was seized with such an overwhelming sense of affection; a wave of burning warmth rising up in her chest and gripping her like a vice. Once again, she was struck by how terribly she’d been missing him. She was used to being apart from him for extended periods of time, but now, it was different, somehow. There was a sense, these days, that any time she saw him would be the last. Being allowed to indulge in his company once more felt like something infinitely more precious than the entirety Treasure Knight’s trove…

“Hee! Why are you staring?” asked Plague Knight, snapping Mona out of her thoughts, “Do I have bedhood?”

Mona choked on a guffaw and resisted the urge to give him a playful shove, “No, I… I was just thinking.”

“Heehee! As always! You’d give the Clockwork Tower a run for its money with all the gears turning in there…” her partner tapped the end of his beak, thoughtfully, “What’s on your mind today?”

“Oh, ah…” Mona cast around for a suitable lie, before settling on Plague Knight’s ever-changing garment, “I was just wondering if that cloak gets on your nerves.”

“Oh! Hee! Not anymore,” Plague Knight puffed out his chest, “I’m practically an expert on it, by now! I just have to stay on my toes a little more, eehee!”

“If you stay on your toes any more than you already are, you’re liable to join the ballet,” Mona snorted, “But I meant about the colours. Doesn’t the flashing get annoying?”

“Ohh,” Plague Knight chuckled and shook his head, “No, no, I rather like it… I don’t often get the chance to be so colourful, heehee!”

“Well, I can’t argue with that,” Mona muttered, just as the door opened and Missy backed in carrying a tray of food.

“Hi!” she called, “I’ve got lunch!”

“Oh, goody!” chirped Plague Knight, hopping down from the bed and scuttling over to her.

Mona watched Missy share her meal with Plague Knight. She was glad the two got along. Maybe after she was gone, Missy could take her place in assisting him with his experiments… After all, she was a clever young woman. She could probably pick up alchemy easily if she put her mind to it…   
Mona shook her head. It was a bittersweet thought. But maybe it would be for the best… Perhaps she could ask Missy to watch over Plague Knight. Yes… When things were all said and done. But they weren’t done yet. Getting up, Mona moved to the door.

“Hee! Where are you going?” called Plague Knight, holding up his cup of soup, “It’s lunchtime!”

“I just have an errand to run,” Mona said, “I’ll be back soon.”

She left before he could argue. It was time to see what could be done about the situation…Steeling herself, Mona teleported back to the Potionarium.

“Hello boss!” cried a nearby minion.

“Welcome back, boss!” cried another.

Mona waved absentmindedly at her subordinates and made her way to the Dynamo Decanter. Removing the Portable Decanter from its place at her waist, she shuffled under the tarps covering the huge machine and transferred Shovel Knight’s Essence into it.   
It was lucky Shovel Knight had been so amenable. Mona hadn’t given much thought to obtaining the Essence of Bravery, but it was a stroke of luck that her search for one ingredient had lead her to another. She didn’t have Spectre Knight’s Essence… yet. But she had collected one that would have been quite difficult to find otherwise, and that was a win, wasn’t it? Yes… she had to take heart, and head forwards with the same confidence. She could change the situation. She could find an answer! She could wiggle her way into Spectre Knight’s good books and con him out of his self-ness, just as she had with King Knight.

Shimmying back out from underneath the tarps, Mona headed for the exit tunnels. Once outside, she pointed herself in the direction of the Lich Yard and melted into a cloud of black shadows, before speeding off as fast as she could will herself.   
She billowed over the sunlit fields and between the trees of the thick green forests, momentarily indulging in the amusement of being unfettered and free. She could swoop directly at tree trunks, cleaving her form in two, only to meld back together on the other side. If this power hadn’t come at such a steep price, Mona thought she would have thoroughly enjoyed it.

Arriving at the edge of the Lich Yard’s lake, Mona attempted to skim overtop of the water, only to find herself slowly sink into it. At first she was undaunted; after all, she could hardly drown, now. However, once completely submerged, Mona found it difficult to move with the same accuracy. She felt sluggish and silty, as if her form were drifting apart. Reforming, Mona bobbed to the surface, placing her feet on solid ground. She was about chest deep in the lake now, and sopping wet. Ah! Damnation! That’s what came of being only almost-intangible, and not fully-so.

“Hey!”

Mona looked up to see a boatman on his craft nearby, blinking at her in shock.

“What are you doing in there, miss?!”

“…Decided to take a swim,” Mona quipped, before wading over to him and climbing into his boat, “Are you headed for the Lich Yard?”

“I–“ 

Mona conjured a ruby and tossed it to him, “Take me there. I have business.”

Whether the man truly accepted her payment or was simply too scared to disobey, Mona still found herself walking up the path to the Lich Yard’s main residential area, wringing the water out of her blue-purple hair.

“Great… Now where was that house..?”

It took her about an hour of hunting to remember the way to Red’s little cottage. When she finally arrived, she rapped smartly at the front door in stead of skulking as she had the last time she’d been there. She had to be confident, this time. She’d failed, and now she had to make up for that failure.

After a moment, the door swung open to reveal Red, who peered up at her in what she assumed was surprise. It was a little difficult to tell with skulls.

“Ah! Sra. Mona! What a… pleasant surprise! You are here to discuss your encounter with my wife, I assume..?”

Mona raised an eyebrow. So that was the connection. That made quite a bit of sense. She shook her head, however, and took a step forward.

“I’m here to speak to Spectre Knight, actually. Is he still here?”

“Ah…”

The boneclang glanced hesitantly behind him before shaking his head, “Ah, no, he is not here anymore. He… left some time ago.”

Mona narrowed her eyes.

“Spectre Knight,” she called, loudly, “I know you’re in there.”

“I– I do not think–“ began Red, tentatively, before Mona simply sublimated herself and drifted past him, “HEY!”

Walking into the sitting room, Mona found the red boneclang she’d lost an arm to. She seemed to have heard her husband’s shouts and was standing at the ready, her blade drawn. Mona shot her a look.

“I’m not here for you,” she grumbled at her, “Spectre Knight. Seriously. Show yourself.”

There was a momentary silence, before a soft voice hissed directly in her ear.

“…What is it you require of me, Ms. Mopes?”

Mona shut her eyes and grimaced, then turned around to see Spectre Knight hovering right behind her, close enough to breathe down her neck. If he could still have drawn breath, that was. Mona desperately wanted to mock his ridiculous attempt at intimidation, but knew it would be best to get to the point.

“I still need that Essence, Spectre Knight,” she said, coldly, placing her hands on her hips.

“Ah, but I already have my locket,” said the apparition, flashing the aforementioned trinket from within the folds of his crimson cloak, “So it seems one of us will have to be content with being disappointed.”

“Your henchwoman cut my arm off. I was the first one to retrieve the locket,” said Mona, firmly.

“Evidently, it has grown back,” replied Spectre Knight, carelessly, “…And her name is Scarlet. I would prefer you to address her as such.”

Mona noticed a slight bite in his tone of voice at the last sentence and glanced back at the red boneclang. Red and Scarlet… They had both referred to Spectre Knight as an old friend, and it seemed he returned the sentiment, possibly more intensely. Perhaps, then, she could try appealing to his sense of loyalty again..? 

“My apologies. I didn’t happen to catch her name when she was… you know. Maiming me,” said Mona, cooly, before crossing her arms, “But I assure you I bear no ill-will against your friends.”

This wasn’t entirely true, but that was beside the point.

“I’m here to speak to you. You set me this task, knowing I would fail, because you didn’t want me to have your Essence. Do you really not trust me? After all these years?”

Spectre Knight hesitated.

“…If it were only you, perhaps,” he said, and the hostility in his demeanour lessened, “But it is clear that you and that alchemist are… involved.”

Mona pursed her lips, “So?”

“So… I don’t like him.”

Mona failed to hold back a clipped guffaw, “Are you serious?”

“Well, how would you feel if someone you disliked got their hands on your Essence? For reasons unknown?!” shot Spectre Knight, heatedly, jerking closer. 

Mona frowned and leaned back, a little. No, she wouldn’t like that at all. But that didn’t matter.

“But it’s not him that’s getting the Essence, it’s me. I’m also an alchemist; I have my own work to see to. We’re not joined at the hip, you know.”

That would be impossible, due to the height difference. Spectre Knight crossed his arms and hovered back again.

“Very well. I will take that as it is…” he said, “But I am still not satisfied with the situation.”

“Spectre Knight is not one to be cheated on a deal,” said Scarlet, surprising Mona.

Mona frowned at her, then back at Spectre Knight.

“I have no intention of cheating you,” she said, “I just want another chance. This Essence is important to me…”

She forced her face to grow mournful, “I was hoping you might allow me to try again… for old times sake. Just one more shot at one-hundred-and-fifty, you know..?” 

Ahah. She’d got him. She could tell, just by the way he looked away from her, that she’d managed to press just the right button. Resisting the urge to rub her true intentions in his face back when the Tower had fallen had been difficult, but it was paying off, now. They were still friends, of a sort, and it seemed that Spectre Knight was surprisingly sentimental. 

“…Very well. I shall extend to you a second chance. This time, you will be after it alone.”

The corners of Mona’s mouth twitched. Great! No more bother from Scarlet, Red, or any of their boney ilk.

“Alright. What’s the deal?”

“…I have been reunited with my locket,” said Spectre Knight, at length, removing the trinket from his cloak again and flipping it open to gaze upon it. From the angle he held it, Mona couldn’t see what was inside. “…But I still wish to know who took it from me.”

The malevolent tone of the last few words suggested that the unlucky thief would have a very bad time of things once Mona brought them back.

“…Alright. I think I can manage it. I’ll bring you the thief, and you…”

“I will give you my Essence, as you desire,” he said, replacing the locket and turning away, “…Once I rip the perpetrator limb from limb.”

Suspicions confirmed, Mona nodded and turned to the door again.

“Well… Seeya,” she muttered, before exiting.

She paused a moment outside the door, glancing to Red, who was still standing in the front hallway.

“Apologies,” she muttered, briefly, before taking three, light steps, and disappearing in a flash of blue light.

 

When Mona appeared back at the inn, she found herself standing next to Plague Knight, who was poised over a little table, with Missy across from him. Missy was writing something on a piece of paper with a quill. When she drew back, Plague Knight let out a yelp and smacked his palms against the tabletop.

“Oh, blast!!”

He fell back then, sprawling out on the ground to look up at Mona.

“Hee! Welcome back, Mona! Did the errand go well?” 

“We saved you a sandwich,” said Missy, pointing to the bed, where a dish remained.

“I… Yeah, it went okay,” replied Mona, eying the sandwich a little nervously, “What are you two up to?”

“Noughts and crosses!” replied Plague Knight, cheerfully, pointing to the paper, which was indeed covered in X’s and O’s.

“Working hard, huh?” said Mona, smirking lightly, “Well, I just need to pop downstairs for a second, so…”

“Oh no, you don’t!” cried Plague Knight, “You haven’t eaten since yesterday! I won’t let you go without your sandwich, heehee!”

Mona winced. If only he knew… It seemed he’d picked up her habit of worrying over wellbeing. Then again, Plague Knight was some kind of physician, and took wellness semi-seriously, in his own little way. Mona guiltily walked over to the bed and picked up the sandwich.

“Oh, erm, right. Thanks for reminding me! I’ll be right back…”

Quickly rushing to the door again, Mona stepped outside and leaned against the wall. She looked down at the foodstuff in her hands. She didn’t need to eat anymore. Could she even eat anymore? Possessed by a sudden spark of curiosity, Mona lifted the bread-and-meat concoction to her mouth and took a bite.  
To her surprise, she could actually still taste it. Not as much as she remembered tasting food when she was alive, but the ham was still vaguely savoury and the bread still sour and moist. She swallowed, experimentally, and waited for a few moments. The food seemed to have gone down, alright…

Polishing off the rest of the sandwich as she went downstairs, Mona approached the bar and spoke to the innkeeper.

“Hey,” she said, “I believe a man by the name of Chester is… or was here? He’s a merchant… Could you point me towards him, please?”

The innkeeper frowned, “Hmm, that Chester feller was doing business here… but he left last night. Seemed eager to get out, for some reason.” 

“Do you know where he went? I ah… I was hoping to buy something.”

“Hmm… Try asking around the village. He pops up here and there, you might find’im.”

“Thanks,” said Mona, turning away from the bar and heading for the doorway.

It seemed she was in for a bit of a hunt. Again. But she knew that this time, she would strike gold. If Chester had sold Spectre Knight’s locket to Shovel Knight, he would know the identity of the person who’d sold it to him in the first place. Mona doubted Chester himself had taken the locket; Chester was less of a treasure hunter and more of a very persistent fence. He knew the strangest, yet most reliable places to buy and sell rare goods. He didn’t have to get his hands dirty so long as someone else was doing the work for him. Even Plague Knight was one of his customers; Mona knew that many of his Arcana incantations had been sold to him by that mysterious merchant. Chester would know where the thief was… Mona would just have to make him talk.  
That might be a little trickier, however. Chester was a significantly slippery fellow, and the mere fact that Scarlet had managed to pin him down was a feat in and of itself. Mona was less skilled in that particular type of persuasive art… At least outside her dungeon laboratories. She might have to think of a different way to get Chester to spill the beans… Perhaps another trade? Chester liked the unique and strange. Mona might be able to offer him something along those lines. After all, she was an alchemist… Unique and strange were her bread and butter.

Unfortunately, it seemed her luck had run out once again. 

“Gone? What… what do you mean he’s gone?”

“The last time I saw him, he was headed for the coast. Said he was going to take a little voyage.”

Mona thought she felt her sandwich come back up, a little.

“Are you sure?”

“Pretty sure. You should head down and ask, if you really wanna know. Everything okay, there, miss..?”

Mona shook her head and sighed, turning away from the villager and running a hand through her hair, “I’m fine. Thanks.”

Leaving her informant behind, Mona once again took on her incorporeal form and zipped across the landscape as fast as she could, heading for the fishing town near the coast where the Iron Whale was marooned. She’d have to keep a low profile, in case Treasure Knight’s crew caught sight of her, but she was fairly certain her safety would be assured. They were generally confined to the area around the ship.  
Just as she’d thought, her trip around the town was an uneventful one. This, unfortunately, included her search for Chester.

“Ah yes, the lubber with the dreadlocks,” said a fisherman, cheerfully, “Chartered a boat last night and sailed off into the moonlight! Didn’t peg him for a sailor, but you never know…” 

Mona thanked the man and sulked back along the docks. If he’d bought passage on a boat with a known destination, Mona would have been able to follow him. But chartering a vessel… He could be anywhere, by now. If he’d left right after his confrontation with Scarlet, he had a good head start on Mona.   
The only places in the Valley he might resurface at would be Mole Knight’s semi-abandoned volcanic quarry, and the tundra around the Stranded Ship. 

Well, might as well check, just in case… Teleporting back to the Potionarium for the second time that day, Mona called her minions to order.

“I have another task for you,” she said, “I need you to look for a man named Chester…”

As reluctant as the minions were to head into an active volcano or the lair of an ex-Order of No Quarter member, Mona promised a pay raise to the first one to find their target. With that little bit of extra incentive, the minions scurried off, heading for the catapults.

Mona let out a deep sigh and planted her hands on her hips.

“That will have to do for now…”

She wasn’t confident any of the minions would find what they were looking for, which was most likely why she’d offered them monetary compensation in the first place… But she couldn’t overlook anything. This was her second chance at getting Spectre Knight’s Essence, and something told her he wouldn’t have enough patience to give her a third. She really didn’t like the idea of trying to get his Essence by force. Not least because of his incredible battle prowess, but because he also seemed to have Red and Scarlet firmly on his side, and Mona didn’t fancy getting any more of her limbs chopped off.

Teleporting listlessly back to Plague Knight’s side, Mona found herself in the middle of the village. It seemed her partner was out on a stroll. The sun was beginning to get low in the sky, now, making the shadows stretch. Plague Knight glanced up as he found himself entangled in hers, and threw up his hands.

“Hee! The elusive Ms. Mopes! What an honour it is to clap eyes on you again! How long am I to expect you, this time? Five seconds? Thirty? A whole minute?!”

“Alright, knock it off,” said Mona, crossing her arms, “I’m here to stay, this time.”

Plague Knight giggled and wagged his finger at her, “Oh, you must be at least a little tired from all that rushing around you’ve been doing. You’re a busy busy bee, heehee! All for your secret project, I’ll wager..?”

“You got it,” Mona sighed, falling into step beside him. 

Plague Knight huffed, “Hee! Fiddlesticks. All this sneaking around is making me excruciatingly curious!”

Mona winced, inwardly.

“It’s… really not that interesting,” she muttered, fidgeting with her cape, “You’re not missing much.”

“Hee! An uninteresting secret? There’s no such thing! Besides, you, working on something boring? That’s even more unbelievable!” Plague Knight chuckled to himself, “I won’t pry, though. I’ve got my own clandestine operation to occupy myself with!”

“How’s that going?” asked Mona, “I haven’t torn you away from it, have I?”

“Ah-ah-ah! Can’t breathe a word!” cried Plague Knight, almost certainly smirking behind his mask, “All I can say is that its current stage isn’t more important than you, heehee.”

Mona felt herself heat up a little as he spoke, and she looked away, letting her feathery blue-purple hair obscure her face, slightly.

“…Okay…”

There was a little silence as the pair wandered through the village together, looking around at nothing in particular.

“…So… Thursday, eh?” Plague Knight piped up, finally, “At the bar in the inn?”

“Yep…”

“Heehee! I’ll wear my regular robes so you won’t be distracted.”

“No, it’s… fine. I’m getting to like your peacock getup.”

“Peacock?!” squawked Plague Knight, in mock-offence, “Don’t compare me to those feathered fops!”

Mona snorted, “Well, you’re colourful and beaky. And even a little flappy, with your sleeves. Seems pretty peacocky to me…”

Plague Knight suddenly seemed a little sheepish. He drew his fingers close under his mask and tapped them together in his usual display of shyness.

“Eheh… Well…”

Mona suddenly remembered that she should be holding back on their usual banter. She really, really needed to try to distance herself from Plague Knight… but it was just so difficult! Every time she was near him she felt drawn to his side, like a moth to a flame. All she wanted to do was crack jokes and perform experiments with him… And now they were going on another date on Thursday. Blast..! She really hadn’t thought this through!

“It’s getting dark…” she mumbled.

“So?”

“Maybe we should head back to the inn.”

“Or we could keep walking…” wheedled Plague Knight, bobbing hesitantly back and forth as he walked.

“I’m just tired,” said Mona, quietly, “I’ve had a long day…” 

“Ah! Er, let’s go back, then! Hee…” 

Once back at the inn, Missy greeted the pair as cheerfully as ever, and invited them down to dinner. Mona declined, saying she was too exhausted. She crawled under the covers of her bed and pretended to fall asleep, waiting for the others to go.   
Laying there in the growing darkness, Mona tried her best not to think about all the troubling things that awaited her in the future. She clutched her pillow to her chest and buried her face in it, catching herself wishing it was her partner.

‘I’m so hopeless…’ she thought to herself, ‘But perhaps it will be easier when I start losing my conscience…’ 

The Enchantress hardly seemed to care about anyone but herself. Mona hoped that growing into the same creature would at least make things easier when the time came…

\- - -

The days leading up to the date were tense. Mona spent her time going on ‘errands’, and checking in with the minions. Each day, she prayed they would return with news of the elusive merchant, and each day her hopes were dashed. Finally, on Thursday afternoon, Mona’s search party returned.

“You’re all back! Excellent!” cried Mona, a little more enthusiastically than usual, “Well? What news?”

“Uhh…”

“We…”

Mona’s face fell.

“…You could’t find him, could you.”

“Er, no, boss…”

“But we brought you back some cool ores!”

“And some special snow from the Stranded Ship! See, it doesn’t–– …ah, it’s melted. Never mind.”

Mona ran a hand over her face, hard.

“We’re sorry boss!”

“We failed you…”

“…It’s fine,” Mona said, at length, turning away, “You can all have a pay increase anyway. You did your job. An extra gold piece for everyone.”

Mona left the shocked minions behind and returned to the inn to get ready. Reappearing in a flash of blue, Mona was momentarily thrown off a little by a loud yelp and a clatter. Turning quickly to the source of the noise, Mona realized she’d accidentally teleported to Plague Knight’s side while he was in the establishment’s lavatories.   
While he -thankfully- wasn’t using the facilities, he was uncharacteristically maskless, with his drawn green face in full view. He had stumbled back at her arrival, fumbling frantically in his cloak. 

“Ah! Sorry,” Mona winced and backed away, “I, ah– well, I knew this would happen eventually…”

Plague Knight let out a little cackle of deranged laughter and rubbed his nose, “Y-y-you could knock, first!”

At least his sense of humour was still intact.

“I’ll just get out of your way…”

“No, it’s fine! I’m… all finished, in here.”

She watched him replace his mask and brush down his robes.

“How do I look?” he asked, turning to her.

“As alchemical as always, partner,” she replied, unable to stop the corners of her mouth from twitching.

“Hee! Likewise! I see you’re wearing your lab clothes again! Been hard at work, eh..?”

“Maybe,” said Mona, shrugging. The truth was that she’d simply missed the comfort of her heavy skirts and gloves. “About time to head off, then?” 

“Hee! I think so!”

Plague Knight offered her his arm, and Mona gingerly took it, wondering if she ought to at all. The pair moved on to the bar, which was beginning to fill with people. Guests, villagers and travellers all placed their orders and took their meals to their reserved tables. 

“I’ll pick up the food, you can go sit down. We’re table fourteen. What do you want for dinner?”

“Hee! Surprise me!”

Plague Knight saluted and scuttled off, leaving Mona with his unhelpful request. When Mona finally got a space at the counter, she put an order in for soup and bread. Mona doubted Plague Knight would want to remove his mask in public, so all of his food needed to fit through a straw. Meanwhile, despite seemingly still being able to eat, Mona didn’t want to push her luck. She could nibble on a slice of bread or two and banish the rest of the pieces without him noticing if she wasn’t able to finish. When the food finally arrived, Mona carried the tray back to the table where Plague Knight was sitting, fidgeting in his seat. 

“How’s leek soup?” she asked, pushing the meal across the table to him.

“Hee! Rustic,” he said, before pulling out his straw and popping it into the bowl. 

Mona put her own plate of bread and butter off to the side and sat down.

“So! What are we to expect from… ‘Theatrical Thursdays?’” Plague Knight asked, after a hearty gulp of soup. His high-pitched voice had no trouble reaching her ears over the din of the other patrons talking and laughing around them.

“There’s going to be an acting troupe on first,” said Mona, “And then some music to wind down the evening, apparently.”

“Hee! Lets hope these guys are better than the last troupe we went to see,” Plague Knight giggled, before mimicking the voices of the unprofessional actors they’d seen so long ago, “‘Oh, sir Robin! What sha-a-all we do?!’ Weeehehehaha!” 

After his laughter subsided, he propped his chin up thoughtfully with one fist, staring out over the crowd.

“Heh… You know, back then… I couldn’t stop thinking of that outing as a date,” he muttered, less audibly than before, “I kept telling myself not to think of it that way, but… I just couldn’t help it, heehee! Or perhaps it was that I was hoping…”

He drummed his fingers on the underside of his mask, falling into silence. Mona felt her temperature rise. The truth was… It sort of had been. At the time, Mona had been trying to flirt with him, in a very misguided sort of way. Percy had mentioned that frightening situations were perfect for getting closer to someone you liked. A storm, for example, might provide a sudden clap of frightening thunder, causing the object of your affections to fall into your arms for comfort. Conversely, you could be the one doing the falling, whether you were afraid of thunder or not… and that’s what Mona had decided to do. Seeing that advertisement for ‘A Day of Horrors’ had seemed like a perfect excuse to cozy up to Plague Knight, who might just take the hint… He hadn’t, of course, believing her poor acting skills to be sarcasm, but it seemed he’d simply been too shy to take the bait..! Ah. If only she’d known. Though, now, the point was moot…

“Heh… i-it wasn’t a… I mean, I was wrong, of course, wasn’t I? Haha… Heehee…” Plague Knight seemed to have found his voice again, if only temporarily. 

Mona looked away from him, pretending not to have heard. She really didn’t need this. Old, bittersweet memories on top of her current anxieties, all while she was trying to play it cool on a date she should never have set up? She did her best to control her temperature, trying not to alert Plague Knight to her discomfort. Unfortunately, it seemed he’d already noticed.

“Eheh– Er, Mona? Are you feeling alright? You’ve been rather stiff,” he said, speaking louder once more, “You’ve really been pushing yourself to complete your project. Maybe––“

Plague Knight was suddenly cut off by a loud clash from the small stage that had been erected at the back of the bar. The innkeeper was standing there, waving his arms to get everyone’s attention and banging a pair of pan-lids together.

“Ladies and gentleman!” he called, “There seems to have been a small accident, er, backstage! Our actors need just a little more time to come on…”

The crowd booed, and the innkeeper smashed his pot-lids together even more fiercely. 

“However!” he cried, “Our musical guests have agreed to perform a little early to keep you entertained! So, without further ado, I give you… Mint Potion!”

A cheer rose up from the crowd as the innkeeper jogged offstage to be replaced by what appeared to be a trio of bards, including… The Bard from The Village?   
Mona blinked in surprise, but it couldn’t be anybody else; it was definitely his telltale orange tunic and huge, feathered cavalier. Alongside him were a pair of his ilk, one dressed in forest green, and the other in deep plum. The green bard was extracting a handsome violin from a well-worn case, and the purple bard was twirling a strange looking staff in his hands. He promptly handed this staff off to The Bard, who took it and spoke into it. The staff, which was clearly bespelled, caused his voice to echo around the room.

“Hello, Little Slotholm!” he called, in his usual genial tone of voice, causing the crowd to cheer once again at the name of their village, “We’re gonna start this evening off with our debut single, a little ditty inspired by a true romantic hero, and his intrepid quest to impress his lady love…”

Twitters of excitement rose up in the audience. From the whispers, it seemed some of the patrons knew this song, or at least the band playing it. Mona had had no idea that The Bard had formed a group, let alone one with the odd title of ‘Mint Potion’. Nevertheless, she was a little curious to hear what was coming next. The Bard was a true genius when it came to music, and Mona greatly appreciated his craft. She’d even commissioned him, once, and she’d absolutely loved the result. What kind of magic could three bards work together..?  
Mona turned in her seat, about to ask her partner if he knew anything about this development, but stopped in surprise. Beside her, Plague Knight had sunk so low in his chair that the only the tip of his beak was poking out over the table. 

“Plague–?”

It was then that The Bard picked up his charmed lute and strummed a few low notes, which reverberated around the room far more richly than was possible with the bar’s acoustics. The audience settled in, their whispers dying down, and the green bard lifted his bow to the ready. Then the purple bard leaned into his magic staff, and began to sing.

“We’ve had this going for a while  
But when you see me, you don’t even break a smile  
Try not to let me see you cry  
Guess I’m the boss here, so what’s a little lie?”

The singer bard had a deep, sultry voice, which harmonized well with the twang of The Bard’s lute and the sighs of the green bard’s violin. Usually, Mona would have been disappointed at having to sit through a love song. They were so often overly sentimental and treacly, and they went on and on and on. But this time, Mona couldn’t help but be drawn into the melody. Something about it seemed oddly… familiar. 

“I count the days since you’ve been gone  
Count every sunset, and every break of dawn  
I dream about you every day  
I’m going crazy, so hard to live this way!

Girl, all I want is to take you by surprise  
Tell you that I love you as I look into your eyes  
I see the moon, and the stars look so sublime   
My one and only... until the end of time!”

Well, the lyrics were pretty much on-par with every sappy ballad Mona had ever heard. Yet, again, Mona couldn’t help but find herself bobbing her head a little. That theme… the eerie refrain… She really felt as if she’d heard it somewhere.   
This though, however, was completely pushed out of her head when the chorus began.

“We got Alchemy! Girl, you’re changin’ me  
All night long, I wanna hold you close to me  
What you do to me, is so plain to see  
All night long, your love is on my mind!

We got Alchemy, not just chemistry!   
All night long, I need your magic desperately  
What you do to me, is some sorcery  
All night long, the heavens are aligned!”

Mona stared at the stage, jaw agape, as the song reached its bridge, accompanied by a lute solo. Was this… was this a song about… them? From Plague Knight’s odd reaction, to the mention of alchemy and magic, to The Bard’s introductory words… But it couldn’t be! No, it couldn’t be… Could it?  
Mona shook her head, pinching her thigh surreptitiously under the table to check if she was somehow dreaming. But the shock she was feeling now was nothing compared to the effects of the second verse. 

“Don’t make me stand and dance alone…”

The other two bards joined in, harmonizing with a long and plaintive “Dance alone..!”

“I know I hurt you, for my sins I must atone  
But we’re together in the fight  
I’m going crazy, just another lonely Knight!

Girl, all I want is to take you ‘round the way  
And kiss you gently, and come whatever may  
We found each other, by luck or destiny   
Can’t breathe without you… A plague has taken me! Yeah!”

A few neighbouring audience members yelped in fear and paused in their chair-bound swaying as Mona’s plate of bread burst into blue flames. Mona panicked and banished the entire loaf with a wave of her hand, attempting to smile reassuringly at the other guests and only succeeding in grimacing.  
Gods on high and low! This song was absolutely about them! Or… Or rather, about her. Had he planned this? Had Plague Knight somehow set this up? No… She’d been the one to set up the date– he hadn’t snuck in and… had he..?

As the chorus wound down into nothingness and the audience erupted in cheers, Mona turned her head slowly towards Plague Knight, who was still collapsed in his chair. 

“Thank you, thank you!” called The Bard from the stage, “Give it up for Sir Ballaheigh and Lord Northington! Yeah! Mint Potion will be back later tonight, folks, thank you!”

As the band trouped off the stage, the crowd began to murmur again. Mona leaned over towards her partner.

“Plague Knight. It’s over.”

He didn’t respond. Mona reached out and jabbed him in the ribs.

“EEK!” Plague Knight jolted up, banging his head on the back of his chair, then clutching it, gingerly, “OW!”

“Sorry–“ Mona winced, then shook her head, “What was– How– Did you set this up?”

“No,” moaned Plague Knight, keeling over the table and nearly dunking his mask in his bowl of soup, “I had no idea those miserable musicians were going to play here! And now!! And THAT!!!”

“But you knew about the song?” said Mona. 

“Yes,” Plague Knight whined, “The Bard accosted me for an interview a little while after we felled the Tower. I have no clue how he managed it, but before I knew it I was spilling my guts, hee! He was so inspired by my story that he got a whole band together, and wrote… that…”

He gripped the top of his hood and pulled it down as far as it would go. Mona stared.  
Plague Knight hadn’t had the song written or performed, no, but it had still come from his experiences. His… feelings. Embellished, a little, perhaps, but… But still. There really was something genuine in there. Mona had been able to feel it in the music. It made her feel… well, rather unstable, really. She felt as nervous and shy as she had been on their first date.

“…Is it, um. Accurate?” she asked, before she could stop herself.

“…Yes,” choked Plague Knight, clearly monumentally embarrassed. 

Mona sat still, trying not to become hot enough to melt right through her chair and into the wooden floor below. The play was just starting on the stage, but she barely noticed. Both she and her partner seemed to be drowning in mortification.   
Mona’s brain cells were quickly falling into squabbling fights over which of the lyrics to focus on and process, and she was sure she probably resembled an overripe blueberry. Leaning over to hide her face behind her hair, Mona tried to calm herself down, taking a few deep, pointless breaths. 

‘Come on, Mona, stop acting like a useless teenager. It’s just a dumb song.’

A dumb song written with Plague Knight’s own input! A dumb, totally romantic song written with Plague Knight’s own input!! And that made a world of difference. If her heart still beat, it would be all-aflutter. However, she finally managed to dredge up a sobering thought, and that was her predicament with Spectre Knight’s Essence.   
Cooling off, Mona propped her head up on her hand and stared into space, glumly. Could she… could she frame someone? As awful as it sounded, it was a possible solution. She could bring some unwitting idiot into the picture and spin it so that they could take the fall… and she could take the Essence. Yet… Spectre Knight’s word’s echoed in her mind, icily.

‘…Once I rip the perpetrator limb from limb.’

Pinning the blame on an innocent was effectively sending them to their gruesome death. Could she possibly do that..? Maybe… maybe she could find someone awful. A real scumbag. That was a win-win, right? She got her Essence, and the world was a slightly cleaner place. So long as the target really deserved it…

She was broken out of these questionable thoughts by Plague Knight.

“Er… Mona… I-I’m sorry. I never… meant for you to hear that song…”

“What..? Oh, no, i-it’s fine…”

She wanted to tell him what she really thought about it, but that would be violating her already beleaguered rule not to draw him any closer…

Plague Knight shifted in his chair, his fingers fumbling together.

“Eheh– Really? A-are you sure?”

Mona pouted slightly, and ran her hand against her hair, smoothing it. She still felt so embarrassed and shy about this whole thing. Choosing the right words was more difficult than ever…

She finally settled on saying, “Yes. I’m sure,” in a rather clipped tone. Plague Knight winced.

“Eehee! A-alright! I-I just thought that maybe you were… c-creeped out, a little.”

Mona’s pursed lips wobbled. She desperately wanted to admit that ‘creeped out’ was the furthest from what she felt. Perhaps she might have been, had it come from some stranger, or if things had been different, but considering the context… Considering it was from her dear, darling Plaguey… Oh… But…

“No. I’m fine. Really.”

There was a small silence, as Plague Knight fidgeted.

“…Er, o-okay! I’ll ah… It’s just that, ah… You seem… preoccupied.”

Mona sighed quietly and shut her eyes.

“I’m having problems with Spectre Knight…” 

Her eyes shot open a moment later when she realized she’d said that out loud. Ack! She’d been so focused on not showing her true feelings about the song that she’d blurted out the other secret she was meant to be keeping! 

“I-I mean–“

“Problems with Spectre Knight? H-Hee! W-What’s that gloomy old ghoul up to now? Badgering you for another game of Spin Ye Bottle?”

Mona hesitated. Could she tell Plague Knight what was on her mind..? She really wanted to. She didn’t want him to get suspicious, but she needed his advice, at a time like this. …Maybe she could risk it. After all, he’d swallowed her story thus far. 

“I…” Mona thought over her words, very carefully, “…What I’m about to tell you has to do with my secret project. You have to promise not to try poking any further, okay?”

Plague Knight tittered and nodded, “Hee! Cross my heart!”

“Right. Well. I need Spectre Knight’s Bitter Essence for a certain part of my project,” Mona began, slowly, “But he won’t give it to me unless I find someone for him in return. I had a lead on that, but he kind of… sailed away. Now I have no idea where to look, and… I’m kind of at my wits end, here…”

Plague Knight chuckled sympathetically and gingerly reached out to pat Mona’s arm. 

“Hee! Perhaps I can help! Who’s Spectre Knight looking for?”

“Well, even he doesn’t know, which is why it’s such a pain…” Mona shook her head, “There’s this locket, you see, and it was stolen a little while ago. He really wants to find the thief, but–“

Mona was suddenly interrupted by Plague Knight collapsing into a fit of wild laughter. Several patrons around them let out loud ‘shush!’es. Mona shot them haughty looks in return.  
When Plague Knight’s laugh attack had finally subsided, he braced himself against the table, wheezing.

“I didn’t think you’d find my setback that funny,” Mona quipped, raising at eyebrow at him.

Plague Knight hiccuped and shook his head, “Hee! Not a setback anymore, partner mine! You’ve already found your culprit!”

Mona blinked, “What?”

“Hee! You’re sitting right across from him!”

Mona stared, dumbfounded.

“Wh– Y– You?! You stole Spectre Knight’s locket?!”

“Guilty as charged,” said Plague Knight, posing coyly. 

Mona clapped a hand to her forehead, “But– But why?”

“Hee! Well, why does anyone steal anything? While I was bombing my way through his stupid haunted house, I found a big treasure chest with the locket inside, and it looked valuable! …In a shiny-gold-thingy sort of way.”

“So you just… looted it?”

“Hee! Maybe I was still a little sore after our last duel…” Plague Knight tented his fingers, “But it was a good decision, either way! I traded it to Chester for the Leech Liquid Arcana. Weehee! Did it mean something special to ol’ Sphincter Knight?”

Mona choked back a giggle and nodded, “Seems to have. He wants to tear the thief apart.”

“Well! I suppose I should let him have his sporting chance, eh?”

Mona’s mirth subsided, sharply, “What? Plague Knight, no– I’m not turning you in!”

“Hee! Why not? Either Spectre Knight gives you his Essence for bringing back the culprit and I trounce him, or I trounce him and you get his Essence anyway! You can’t lose!”

“But–“ 

But she could lose him. As much as she loved watching Plague Knight fight, she couldn’t help but worry for him, as well. Though she knew he’d beaten Spectre Knight twice in a row on his quest for the Serum Supernus, she was still wary of putting them in direct combat again. The result of their first battle still gave her nightmares, after all… What if Spectre Knight followed Treasure Knight’s example and decided to change up his arsenal? What if he teamed up with Red and Scarlet to take her partner down? If anything happened to Plague Knight while he fought on her behalf, she would never be able to forgive herself… 

“Mona, I can handle him,” said Plague Knight, seriously, taking her hand in both of his, “You should know that by now, hee! I only lost to him once, and that was when I underestimated him. I know all his weaknesses now, heehee! He’ll be a piece of cake!”

Mona still felt uneasy, “I…”

“You just weren’t there, the other times,” insisted Plague Knight, hotly, “This time, you can have front row seats! I’ll show you he’s nothing but a bunch of brittle bones, heehee! It’ll be a blast, I promise! What do you say..?”

Mona had the sneaking suspicion that this had just become about her partner proving he could beat his old rival in battle to her… But Mona supposed she ought to let him. She wasn’t going to get Spectre Knight’s Essence otherwise, and… Mona still couldn’t help but feel a little eager to see Plague Knight in action again. When he’d fought Treasure Knight, Mona had been too distracted by being a part of the fight to enjoy herself. This time, though, she could just sit back and watch… She had to trust him. He’d never let her down before, after all…

“Oh… Okay,” she sighed, relenting at last, “But you’d better mess him up good.”

“Heehee! I’m an old pro at making messes,” said Plague Knight, slyly. 

Mona snorted softly and rolled her eyes. Oh Plaguey… She supposed this was inevitable. Whatever Plague Knight’s real full name was, she was pretty sure ‘trouble’ was in the middle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heya folks! As I said, this one is probably one of my favourite chapters, if only because I was able to stuff 'Alchemy' by Mint Potion into it. 
> 
> As to CoRvid's question about me watching FMA: Sort of! I've seen a few episodes here and there, but I never followed it religiously. I think Plague Knight and Mona's alchemy is a little different... but who knows if one of them will need automail in the future? 
> 
> Anyway, thanks for all the support, you guys! You're the best! I'll seeya in the next chapter. --T.S.


	15. The Second Reveal

When night came and the date was over, Mona lay awake on the too-small straw mattress, once again thinking over the day’s events. She was allowing Plague Knight to get perilously close to her operation… yet she couldn’t really see any other way around it, now. She’d slipped up and let him in on her troubles, and now she doubted she could dissuade him due to that insufferable ego of his. And what else was she supposed to do, anyway? Fend him off and go forward with the tricky process of framing someone? No… He was involved, and that was the end of it. She’d just have to do her best to keep the finer points of her plan a secret and try harder to keep him out in future.   
And yet… Deep down, she felt a sense of comfort. As worried as she was about her partner’s involvement in the coming transaction, she couldn’t help but feel that she had made the right choice. Plague Knight had successfully taken out Treasure Knight, and that lunkeroth was three times Spectre Knight’s width. Besides, Plague Knight personally loathed Spectre Knight; he wouldn’t rest until he’d beaten the apparition into a quivering lump of ectoplasm for the third time in a row.   
Yes… Now that she was a little less panicked by the circumstances, Mona was able to remind herself that she trusted Plague Knight. She knew that he would be able to survive the coming battle, no matter what happened. Back when he’d been searching for the Essences, he had always returned, no matter the task, no matter the obstacle… And back then, he’d been so much weaker, too…   
Yet, she still couldn’t help but feel a burning sense of guilt for any injuries he might incur. It was her fault any of this was happening, after all. They’d wanted to move forwards, wash their hands of The Order, pursue alchemy together and forget The Enchantress’s reign had ever happened… and now she was dragging him back into another stupid fight for the second time.

‘Oh, Plaguey…’ she thought, miserably, clutching the bedsheets close around her, ‘How am I ever going to make this up to you..?’

She probably wouldn’t have time… Once the Serum Destructus was complete, she doubted she would have much chance to set her affaires in order before she had to detonate it. She had no clue how much of her conscience was left, and how fast it was deteriorating… She quietly analyzed her behaviour the past few days. Had she done anything particularly heinous? Yet… if she was slowly becoming corrupt, would she still be able to recognize cruelty as cruel? Or simply necessary? 

Alchemy was something of a controversial art in The Valley. Nobody had heard of it before Plague Knight and Mona had introduced it, and it had quickly gained a reputation as a mysterious, fickle form of magic. But magic was old. Old, and stable, and rarely challenged… Alchemy was new, changing, ever evolving and almost… living. And living things were ever so temperamental. Some of the experiments performed deep in the recesses of the Explodatorium would most likely shock and horrify anybody outside the fold. But Mona and Plague Knight had always maintained that their craft was for the betterment of… well, if not everyone, fellow alchemists. It wasn’t purely for curiosity’s sake, though that was a large part of it. No… Alchemy had saved the both of them, long ago, and had sheltered them ever since. They felt it only right that their work should endeavour to spread this protective halo as far as it could reach; that their descent into the inner-workings of the universe always offer at least some beneficial outcome.   
As unnerving and perverse and unnatural as it seemed to strangers, alchemy, at its core, was an incredible tool. A way for even the most powerless to grow strong and help themselves, as well as others… To harness divine Knowledge with earthly hands for something beyond imagination..! 

Yet… how easy it was to corrupt. Mona knew that the simplest change in intentions could turn a questionable alchemist into a villainous one. And alchemy, by its very nature, already walked a fine line… Mona could be falling off that tightrope here and now, as she lay in bed… How fast would she plummet? How low would she sink? With her strange affinity for combining magic and alchemy, she could use the latter’s potential and the former’s raw power to devastating effect…

“Hey, Moany?”

Mona opened her eyes to see Missy looming over her at her bedside.

“Missy!” Mona hissed, flinching back reflexively, “What are you doing?!”

“Sorry! I-I just wanted to check on you,” she whispered, withdrawing a little, sheepishly, “You’ve been rushing all over the place lately and acting all restless… And you seemed troubled when you finished your date. Is everything… okay?” 

Mona stared at her in the darkness, then sighed. She stood up, and beckoned Missy out into the hall, tiptoeing past the sleeping Plague Knight, who was curled up in a cot transported in from the Potionarium. Outside in the hall, Mona leaned against the wall and stared up at the ceiling.

“Plague Knight is going to fight Spectre Knight.”

“W-what?! Plaguey versus Specty?!”

Mona frowned. She’d noticed Missy had dropped the formal way of speaking about her partner, and it irked her a little.

“Yes. It’s… a long story. The point is, this is how we’re going to get his Essence, and that’s what I’ve been up to for the last little while.”

Missy nodded, thoughtfully, tapping her chin, “I see..! But, uh… isn’t this dangerous? What if Plaguey finds out?”

“Oh, wow! I hadn’t thought of that!” said Mona, sarcastically, “Look, we… we don’t really have a lot of choice here, okay? What’s done is done. We just have to be careful…” 

There was a silence. Mona absentmindedly raised her right hand to grip her left arm. She could feel the twisted, burnt flesh under the cloth of her gown. 

“…Missy. I have a favour to ask you.”

“Hm?”

Mona hesitated a moment longer before speaking again, “…When I’m gone… will you…”

“W-what, Moany?”

“…Keep an eye on Plague Knight for me..?” Mona finished, finally, “…I mean… I can’t ask you to give up your future, or anything, but… maybe just the first little while…”

Glancing down, Mona noticed a very odd look on Missy’s face. It was as if she was trying to decide whether or not to say something. Evidently, she chose not to, as her expression became a sheepish smile and she reached up to rub the back of her neck.

“I-it’s okay, Moany! I understand. I promise, I’ll look after him!”

A wave of bittersweet relief washed over Mona, and the corners of her mouth twitched.

“…Thanks.”

\- - -

When morning finally came, Mona watched Plague Knight rouse himself early and perform a couple of exercises, already full of his usual nervous energy. He scuttled about the room, giggling to himself as his robes flashed different colours, muttering under his breath. 

Making an effort to look as if she’d slept, Mona rose languidly from her bed and stretched, yawning widely.

“Good morning, Mona!” cried Plague Knight, cheerfully.

“Morning, Plague Knight,” Mona mumbled, sliding off her mattress and pointing to her partner’s cot.

“Are you done with that?”

“Hee! I think so. It’s our last day here, isn’t it?”

“I suppose so…”

Mona banished the cot with a snap, and glanced over to Missy, who was getting up as well. It was time. 

“Do you need to prepare yourself?” Mona asked, “I mean, are you sure you want to wear your Pandemonium Cloak..?”

“Heehee! Oh Mona, I could win with both arms tied behind my back!” Plague Knight laughed, waving his hand dismissively, “I could use a little breakfast, though! No good fighting on an empty stomach!”

Mona agreed, and once everything was in order, the three of them trooped downstairs and ordered some food from the innkeeper, while Mona returned their room’s key. She did her best to pick at her meal, but even if she did still need to eat, she doubted she’d have the stomach for it. She finally decided to secretly banish the plate of porridge when her companions weren’t looking and get on with things. When the other two were finally finished, Mona lead them outside and held out her hands.

“I’m going to take us back to the Potionarium, then we can catapult from there,” she said.

“Are you sure you can’t just take us to the Lich Yard directly?” asked Plague Knight.

“I’m sure you can wait a few extra minutes,” said Mona, with a hint of amusement in her voice. His eagerness was a little exasperating, but she couldn’t help but find it rather endearing, too.

With three, careful steps, Mona transported the three of them to the Potionarium, where they were greeted by a group of passing minions.

“It’s the bosses!”

“Hi, bosses!”

“Did you manage to figure out the thing with––“

Mona gave this last minion a blazing look and they quickly shut up. 

“Heehee! Hello, all!” cried Plague Knight, cheerfully, “As you were!”

The minions went back to their business, and the group continued on to the catapults. It was a little squished with the three of them in the bucket, but they managed the trip alright, and before they knew it, they were descending over the grave-ridden landscape of the Lich Yard.

“Lead the way, Missy,” said Mona, quietly, “You know where Red’s house is.”

Missy dutifully ran ahead and began leading them down the winding streets. As they walked, Mona felt Plague Knight brush a little closer to her. Looking down, she noticed his beak pointed in her direction.

He giggled as she glanced at him, “Hee! Excited?”

“Uh… Yeah…”

Privately, Mona couldn’t help but be a little eager for the impending match. But the rest of her anxieties were louder than that old, mischievous instinct. 

“We’ll have that Essence in no time, and then we can put it into the Decanter together, heehee! Just like old times!”

“Mm…”

Plague Knight watched her for a few more moments before coughing a little and looking away. Mona was glad when they finally reached Red’s cottage, and Missy knocked at the door.

This time, it was Scarlet who answered. 

“Ah. You are back…” her eye-sockets lingered on Mona for a few moments before she stepped backwards through the doorway, “Spectre Knight is inside. Come in.”

Mona followed her hesitantly. She seemed awfully calm about all this. Did that mean Spectre Knight had a plan? Or was that simply part of her weirdly pleasant nature?

Upon entry to the sitting room, they found Red seated in one of the comfortable armchairs, reading. Spectre Knight was next to him, standing with his back to the group, staring into the violet-lit fireplace.

“So… You’ve returned. Have you brought–“ The shade’s words cut off mid-sentence as he turned and beheld his visitors. “What is the meaning of this?”

“Exactly what you asked for,” said Mona, nonchalantly, “I have your thief right here.”

Plague Knight giggled and made a low, ostentatious bow. Spectre Knight stared.

“First of all,” he hissed, “What on earth are you wearing, you prattling popinjay? And secondly… WHAT?!”

Plague Knight cackled maniacally and bounced back to his full, diminutive height, “Weeheehee!! Hello again, Spooky Knight! Miss me?”

“You’re not serious,” growled Spectre Knight, staring fixedly at Mona from behind his helmet, “This fool cannot possibly be the one who–“

“Stole your pretty necklace? Hee! It was just so shiny, I couldn’t help myself, heeheehee!”

Spectre Knight hissed and reached up to grip the shaft of his scythe.

“Oh, pleeeaaase,” Plague Knight cooed, “You can’t be that mad! After all, you mustn’t have cared that much about it! Only three boneclang guards? I dispatched them in five seconds flat! Next time you want to protect your treasure, try shoving it up your–“

The blade of Spectre Knight’s scythe hit the ground with a whistling thud, right where Plague Knight had been standing a moment ago. The little alchemist, however, had dodged out of the way in time, dancing back with a whoop of glee.   
Missy flinched and waved her hands, trying to conjure up her mood magic.

“Oh, please don’t!” she squeaked. Both Knights ignored her.

“Weehee! Naughty naughty! You’re not supposed to take any swings until we start the fight good and proper, heeheehee!!”

“I would prefer you fought somewhere else,” said Red, quietly, who’s presence Mona had forgotten about up until now.

Without speaking, Spectre Knight reached out and grabbed Plague Knight’s wrist in a vicelike grip. In a flash, he tossed his cape around him, which swirled into a crimson vortex, dragging the both of them into nothingness.

“Plague Knight!” cried Mona, involuntarily. 

Lurching forwards, she teleported after them, leaving a concerned Missy behind.  
When she reappeared, she found herself next to her partner, standing in the middle of a broken-down lot. Crumbling grey-stone walls surrounded them, supporting a pair of woebegone platforms, and allowing a view of the dead grass and tombs through their gaps. The reddish earth below them was uneven, showing traces of previous disturbance. 

“Get out of here,” growled Spectre Knight, who was hovering in midair across from them, “This is between us.”

“Hee!” Plague Knight took Mona’s hand and patted it, gently, “Go make yourself comfortable, my sweet!”

Mona nodded, then strode over to one of the most broken-down walls and perched herself on top of it.

“You’d have her watch?” spat Spectre Knight, contemptuously, “How presumptuous of you. I hope she has a strong stomach.”

“Just get on with it,” Mona called, unable to help herself. 

Something about Spectre Knight’s words flared a sense of indignation in her. 

‘You show him, Plaguey!’ she thought, scowling fiercely down at her partner, who waved back at her, cheerfully. 

The next second, the two Knights were at each others throats. Spectre Knight whirled into his cloak and reappeared right above Plague Knight, bearing down upon him with his scythe drawn.  
Plague Knight, who’s cloak had just turned eye-searing pink and gold, let off a bomb burst at the same time. Tucking into a ball, Plague Knight launched directly into Spectre Knight’s oncoming form, flashing like a fireworks display. The Spin Burst! As he ploughed into Spectre Knight’s torso, the apparition was thrown backwards. However, he managed to steel himself against the attack, gracefully flinging Plague Knight off of him. The alchemist hit the ground and uncurled back into a crouch, giggling breathlessly.

“Hee! Are you sure you don’t just want to give me your Essence right now? It will be far less painful… for your body and your ego, heeheehee!!”

Spectre Knight merely scoffed, and drew his blade again. Plague Knight shrugged blithely, then launched into another burst. Unfortunately, Spectre Knight wasn’t caught off-guard this time. With a vicious slash of his blade, he knocked Plague Knight out of his tumble and sent him skidding back across the earth with a spray of red. Mona sucked in a reflexive breath of air at the blow. But, just as always, the little alchemist popped back up a moment later with a flick of his staff. He was holding a large glass beaker of bubbling liquid in his hand, which he quickly took a big gulp of through his straw. 

“Resorting to health potions already, Plague Knight?” hissed Spectre Knight, scornfully, pulling back in a billow of red cape.

Plague Knight didn’t reply; he only tossed the empty bottle to the ground and rolled a bomb into his fist.

“A useless gesture,” continued Spectre Knight, shaking his head, “For I shall simply cut you down again!”

Drawing back once more, Spectre Knight readied his blade for a powerful strike. Plague Knight, meanwhile, simply tensed. As Spectre Knight swooped down upon him, Plague Knight let loose a volley of Lob bombs, which flew end-over-end into the air and hit his foe in a flash of pink light. Spectre Knight cried out in shock as his robes burst into magenta flames.

“Heehee! Hot enough for you?!” cried Plague Knight, who’s body began to glow with a faint red aura. 

As Mona watched, he stood up straighter, apparently recovering fully from his earlier blow. While Spectre Knight was distracted by the flames, Plague Knight leapt into another burst and let loose a new trio of bombs, but not without his robes turning red and green first. Instead of barrelling into his enemy, Plague Knight found himself drifting harmlessly down, circled by a hail of rose-coloured bombs.

“Hee! Whoops!” he cried, with a little hiccup of mirth.

Spectre Knight, meanwhile, had managed to put out his robes. He turned to see the slowly descending Plague Knight, who resembled less of a crow and more of a sitting duck. Springing into action, Spectre Knight drew back his fist, which suddenly grew long, powerful-looking claws, and slashed at the drifting alchemist. Plague Knight cried out in pain as the bladed gauntlet raked his robes, but Spectre Knight had gotten close enough to be within range of the orbiting explosives. Each one hit him in quick succession, creating a small pink bubble, which grew and grew until it popped, blasting the feuding parties apart.

Mona watched Plague Knight hit the ground in a heap, but was heartened to see him struggle back up again. The reddish aura surrounding his body was fading now, but he seemed to have gotten all he needed from it.

“What’s this, now?” he crowed, “A new toy? Or did your mummy make you promise to wear gloves?! Heeheehee!”

Mona choked back a giggle, and realized she was on the edge of her seat. 

“A childish taunt for a childish man,” spat Spectre Knight, “Without your alchemy, you are nothing.”

“And without your scythe, you’d just be a big, fat scarecrow! …Who isn’t fat.”

Blinking indigo and magenta, Plague Knight darted towards Spectre Knight and tossed another few bombs. Unfortunately, it appeared his luck had run out; instead of hitting the enemy, Plague Knight’s bombs drifted upwards, born by their bubble-like cases, and exploded harmlessly in midair.

“Oh dear, eehee!” he cried, before dancing back sharply to avoid the swings of Spectre Knight’s scythe.

Mona watched him dip and dart as Spectre Knight came after him. He had given up on trying to throw bombs for the moment, knowing he couldn’t get close enough for any of them to hit. Instead, he twirled his staff and sent a Bait Bomb skidding across the ground towards Spectre Knight. Unfortunately, the ghostly Knight simply floated over it, allowing it to skitter off and detonate against a wall.

“What’s the matter, Plague Knight? Run out of bombs?” Spectre Knight snarled.

“Not just yet,” replied Plague Knight, as he began to flash again.

This time, he turned a garish shade of vermillion and yellow and rolled a particular finned bomb into the palm of his hand. Tossing it horizontally, the bomb spun out of his fingers and whirled towards Spectre Knight, who leapt out of the way.

“It seems you have nothing but junk left,” hissed Spectre Knight, “I–“

But before he could say another word, the Whirl-Casing came spinning back around and struck him in the back, once again setting his cloak alight.

“No!” he howled as he warped away. 

Plague Knight fell over laughing, “Heeheehee!! What do you think of my BOOMerangs, Spectre Knight?!”

The apparition let out a roar of rage and raised a trembling fist. The ground began to rumble, and the crowns of bony heads began to emerge.

“This has gone on long enough,” Spectre Knight howled, “You will pay for taking what is not yours!!”

“Heh! Ganging up on me, are you? That’s not very sporting,” Plague Knight taunted, bursting into the air and tossing another Cascade-Whirl bomb before his cloak changed again, this time to dark purple and dull brown. 

As the boneclangs rose from the earth, Mona noticed one of them seemed to be different from any of the others she’d seen. With yellowed bones and faded blue armour, the unique boneclang strode forwards with its three greenish fellows, a flame leaping in its eye sockets.

All at once, the enemies converged. Plague Knight burst into the air over their heads, setting off a blast of flame from his ignition point. The Bullet Burst! Thank goodness he had that as a backup; his bombs had turned up plain old Black Powder and Bounce casing. He managed to take out one skeletal minion with his Bullet Burst, but he had to toss a volley of bombs at Spectre Knight, who was rushing to meet him in midair. Managing to miss his scythe by inches, Plague Knight landed in the middle of the two other boneclangs, who hacked at him with their swords. Plague Knight tossed his bombs left and right, managing to take out his enemies, before a blast of energy caught him in the chest and thrust him backwards.

The odd-looking boneclang was advancing, shooting yet more projectiles from its flaming eyes. Plague Knight flung his staff up and clung to it as it glowed purple, carrying him high into the air. Yet again, Spectre Knight came to meet him, swinging his blade powerfully and catching Plague Knight under the arms. Flung back to the ground yet again, he collided with the skeletal marksman, who suddenly exploded in a burst of violet flame. 

Mona choked back a cry; she knew she couldn’t call out to her partner now. If she distracted him, Spectre Knight would surely slice him to ribbons. 

‘He’ll be fine. He’ll be fine,’ she told herself. He would be back to making jokes and being dashing before she knew it. 

True to his nature, Plague Knight once again managed to get to his feet, though he was significantly more wobbly this time. Bursting up into the air, he sent a blast of fire at Spectre Knight, then used his Staff of Surging to rise higher, eluding the speeding shade’s swinging attack. As he plummeted, he dropped a hail of bombs on his adversary, which buffeted him back.  
His landing, however, was poor, and he swayed as he stood up. Spectre Knight, unfortunately, was more agile. Lifting his scythe into the air, he swung it straight down. Plague Knight, unable to move as fast, threw himself out of the way…

There was a soft clatter. Kneeling there in the dirt, Plague Knight’s hood was down around his shoulders, blown back by Spectre Knight’s attack. Yet… yet beyond it… there was no head. Plague Knight’s mask rolled to a stop beside him, and Spectre Knight drifted backwards. Mona felt heat engulf her.

“PLAGUE KNI––“

But before she could leap to her feet and fly to his side, she saw him move. Oh, thank the gods! His head wasn’t off– he’d merely lowered it, and Spectre Knight had only managed to lop off his mask. Except… Except Plague Knight was still wearing his mask. As he got to his feet, his beak swung into view, long and green and sharp, and… open?

“Heehee! That was a close shave! But not quiiiite close enough, haha!!”

The lenses of the mask, they were open too– but they weren’t lenses, but wide grey eyes encircled with dark rings. Plague Knight’s mask didn’t open. It didn’t blink. And its crown wasn’t covered in patchy grey down…

“…Good gods…” hissed Spectre Knight.

“Hee! Alright, quit staring– it wasn’t that good a dodge! You’re just slow,” crowed Plague Knight, brushing down his flickering cloak, “Heh… What’s gotten into you? Why are you…” 

Plague Knight’s gaze moved from the hovering Spectre Knight to Mona, then to his slashed mask, at which he did a double take. 

“…Wh…”

Plague Knight stared at the fallen piece of polymer for a few moments, his beak hanging open in shock, before his face turned livid.

“You… You… WRETCH!”

The next moment, Plague Knight was a spinning ball of screaming, flashing colours. He slammed into Spectre Knight, sending the pair of them crashing into one of the elevated platforms on the wall. Its edge hit Spectre Knight square in the back and he let out a cry as they both fell to the ground. While he was dazed, however, Plague Knight was not. The alchemist reached down with both his hands and grabbed the sides of Spectre Knight’s helmet, prizing at it.

“YOU FILTHY, SQUIRMING ABOMINATION!!” shrieked Plague Knight, “YOU PUTRID, STINKING MISTAKE!! YOU… RUIN… EVERYTHING!!”

With a crunch of metal, Plague Knight managed to tear the helmet away from Spectre Knight’s other armour and throw it as hard as he could to the ground. Spectre Knight, however, had recovered by now. Reaching up, he grabbed Plague Knight’s beak with his taloned gauntlet and lifted him off of his chest, tossing him away. Plague Knight plummeted to earth and landed, rolling once before struggling back onto his feet.

“So… This is what you’ve been hiding all along,” murmured Spectre Knight, slowly floating after him, “I didn’t expect you to have such a shabby disguise. But I suppose that’s the beauty of it… Same on the inside, same on the outside. You really are just a hollow, blustering fool…” 

Spectre Knight himself didn’t seem to care about his missing helmet. For the first time, Mona beheld his face; a gaunt, hollow-cheeked countenance with an unearthly teal hue, shrouded in unkempt shoulder-length hair. Burning red pupils stared out of cold black eyes, gazing scornfully down at the little alchemist. 

Plague Knight gurgled out one of his usual chuckles, which grew slowly into a full blown bout of mad laughter. As he trailed off, he shook his head, before glancing back up at his adversary. 

“And you..? You’re just a dead man.”

Mona wasn’t sure what happened next. It was too bright to see. As far as she could tell, Plague Knight had somehow detonated more than one Cluster Powder bomb. The explosive’s blinding light and cacophonous detonation blanked out everything that was happening on the battlefield, and every time it seemed as if the blasts should subside, they just kept going.

“Moany!!”

Mona whirled around to see Missy jogging up the hill behind her, shielding her eyes from the brightness.

“W-what’s going on?!”

Mona shook herself out of her shock. She had been so stunned from everything that had just happened, she had forgotten herself. But now that she had fully realized the situation, she had no idea what to do.

“I-I… I–“

There was a lull, suddenly, and the explosions stopped. The brightness faded, giving way to smoke, amidst which were the two duelists. Spectre Knight was surrounded in a protective cocoon of hovering purple flames, limping backwards feebly. Plague Knight was breathing hard, his robes smouldering slightly, but otherwise in tact.

“Why won’t you… why won’t you just DIE?!” Plague Knight rasped.

Spectre Knight, who was clearly heavily injured, spat on the dirt below him. 

“As you said. I am already dead.”

Plague Knight let out a howl of fury and threw himself at the ailing Knight, who’s flaming shield was beginning to weaken.

“NO!!”

Suddenly, the arena was filled with a blast of fresh, spring air. Missy had leapt forwards, hands outstretched, and a cloud of magic issuing from her palms. As Plague Knight moved, he suddenly began to slow down, his form sagging. Spectre Knight himself collapsed, his shield disappearing completely. Missy stumbled down into the arena and fell at his side.

“Specty!”

Mona rushed after her. Spectre Knight was down. She needed that Essence. Plague Knight… She wasn’t sure what to say to him. It wasn’t that she was upset at him for being so brutal to the other Knight, or frightened of his actions. Rather, she was scared of how deeply the event had affected him. His words… his tone… the voice behind them wasn’t one of rage, but of pain. Pure, and deep, and desperate. Despairing. 

“I-I have to heal him,” said Missy, shakily, “I need gold–“

“Step back,” said Mona, flatly, “I need to get his Essence first.”

“No! That can wait!” cried Missy, “I–“

“He needs to be weak. It will only take a moment.”

“Moany!!”

“Summon your gold, and begin your ritual. I’ll be done by the time you’re ready.”

Missy looked upset, but she complied, standing up and concentrating on obtaining the required riches. Mona, meanwhile, traced one of her alchemical circles in the dirt and performed the summoning. Just as she’d promised, Spectre Knight’s Essence rose out of his body just as Missy was rushing over with a leaping green flame in her hand.

Transferring the whirling orb of light into her Portable Decanter, Mona stood back and allowed Missy to tend to her friend. She turned, instead, to Plague Knight, who was standing still, staring blankly at the ground.  
At this range, Mona could get a better look at his face. It really did resemble his mask quite a bit. The beak was a similar shape, and the dark circles around his pure grey eyes mimicked the hollow lenses. The down sprouting here and there on his cranium continued down to his neck, dusting his throat, just like… just like stubble. The only feathers that seemed fully developed stuck out of his head at… the front and back of his cranium…  
Good gods. All this time… had he truly been an Avian? Had his human form simply been a transmutation? An alchemical trick? The more Mona thought about it, the more it made sense… His unusually shaped fingers, his long, sharp nails, the way he scuttled and twitched. There was no reason for him to transmute into a bird for this battle, much less a sickly, featherless one, and the way he’d reacted when his mask had been removed… This must be his true face. His true form. And yet… why? Why would he want to hide the fact that he was an Avian so badly? Did he fear it might make the two of them incompatible? They were friends with Percy and the Magicist, after all; interspecies romance wasn’t a foreign concept to them…

Just as she was about to ask, Plague Knight moved. He walked slowly over to the mask on the ground and picked it up in his hands, staring into it. The strap was broken, severed cleanly by Spectre Knight’s scythe. He fingered it in his talons, a muted look of dismay on his face. 

Hesitating, Mona finally walked over to him and waved her hand. Another of his masks appeared out of thin air between her fingers, and she offered it to him, gently. It took a moment before he looked up at her, his eyes gleaming with anguish.

“It’s okay,” she murmured, uncertainly, “It’s… okay. You can put this on…”

Plague Knight dropped the broken mask, which landed with a hollow clatter, and took the fresh one. He slowly slid it over his beak, then secured the elastic fastening behind his head. They stood a moment longer, before Mona reached out and took his hand in hers. Plague Knight squeezed back, his talons digging into her flesh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally! The true and proper face reveal! If you've read The Object of His Afflictions, you'll know this was hinted at heavily in the text, but here's complete confirmation. Meanwhile, that was a doozy of a fight scene to write. I actually randomly generated bomb combos for the Pandemonium Cloak so the battle might have a ring of truth to it. Also, did you catch the mistaken-for-beheaded reference? I really hope so!
> 
> Anyway, thanks again for all the support! I'll see you next time... --TS


	16. The Tasks

The return to the Potionarium was an awkward one. The moment Plague Knight arrived, he broke away from Mona and disappeared into the depths, back to his secret project. He would proceed to avoid Mona for the next few days, not even leaving his lab for food.   
Mona supposed this was all for the best; she had her own work to focus on, and, as she kept having to remind herself, she was supposed to be distancing herself from him. She busied herself fixing a few things around the lab that the minions had broken in their absence, as well as recovering a little from the previous excitement. Yet, as she toiled, she couldn’t help but worry about her partner. The way he’d reacted to having his mask knocked off was alarming, to say the least. The fury and hatred and agony in his voice had been an almost tangible force. Mona continued to wonder about what he had been thinking, why he had been hiding… Was it just his natural lack of self-esteem? Or was there more to it? She wanted to know, she wanted to help… But no. She had to stop thinking about it. She couldn’t allow herself to get invested now.

The only person who seemed to be in a good mood at the end of the trip was, unsurprisingly, Missy.

“Oh, I’m so glad, Moany,” she said, as they settled in to the main lab to plan their next move, “I had a chance to talk with Specty after I healed him, and everything’s changed!”

“Ahuh?” Mona muttered vaguely, barely looking up from her map of The Valley.

“Specty told me he had lots of time to think since the last time we visited him… He said he changed his mind about wanting to die! He wants to try and make up for his mistakes instead! I’m so proud of him…”

“That’s nice,” said Mona, running her finger across the paper.

Truthfully, she did think it was sort of nice. As much as she disliked Spectre Knight, she couldn’t ignore her recent revelation on his past. He’d been as much a victim as the rest of them, and as unpleasant as he tended to be, perhaps his new perspective on… un-life would change him for the better. Or at least make him easier to deal with.

“I think our next stop should be the Clockwork Tower,” said Mona, finally, sitting back in her chair and tapping the map to catch Missy’s attention, “I’m sick of fighting. Tinker Knight is the closest ally we have of the ex-Order members. He ought to be reasonable…”

Tinker Knight could be a bit tetchy and brusque, but Mona sympathized. She herself got pretty crabby when people interrupted her gadgeteering. Surely, a pair of engineers could see eye to eye? …Then again, Plague Knight had thought the same thing when he’d gone to collect Tinker Knight’s Essence, and thing’s hadn’t exactly gone according to plan… But when did any of her outings go smoothly, these days? 

“Oh good!” said Missy, smiling widely, “I’m sick of fighting too. What do you think Mr. Tinker Knight will want in exchange for his Essence?”

“Well, he’s a man of science… with any luck, he’ll ask for something in my field of experience.”

This, unfortunately, was its own problem. Mona and Tinker Knight both shared a passion for creating machines. Mona had built the Torque Lifts, the Dynamo Decanter, the burner gauntlets and a whole host of other Explodatorium-Potionarium gadgets. But Tinker Knight had engineered the entire Clockwork Tower, all of its components, and the incredible Tinker Tank, which was -as far as anybody knew- The Land’s most complicated robotic vehicle. The mere fact that he’d complemented her Lifts had put Mona into a little spiral of joy. He was a master; an old pro. Even if she lucked into his request being mechanical in nature, there was no guarantee she could help. After all, if something stumped a professional, how could a hobbyist hope to succeed? Mona liked to think of herself as a rather high-end hobbyist, but she also knew that certain things were beyond her skills… at the moment, at least.

Still, there was the fact that this was Tinker Knight, and like Mole Knight, he had retained something of a lasting friendship with Plague Knight after the Order’s dissolution. With any luck, a few choice words and a flutter of the eyelashes could get her what she wanted. If not, well… she was used to things going haywire by now.

“So, when are we heading out?” asked Missy, standing up from the table with her usual enthusiasm. 

“Right about now,” replied Mona, following suit and smoothing down her skirts, before heading towards the exit tunnels, “We can try practicing your teleportation along the way. Plague Knight said you did it once…”

“Oh, yes! When you were kidnapped by Treasure Knight!”

Mona smirked, slightly. So they were still calling it a kidnapping, huh?

“I was really worried when you sent me to go get Plaguey! I almost didn’t know what to do; I was scared to leave you for too long, in case something happened! I was so anxious I just ended up going in circles, until I realized I could try teleporting to him! And then… I did!”

“…Well put,” said Mona, with a small sigh, “And you brought him back too, right?”

“Yes!”

“Can you remember how you did it?”

“Uhh… No,” Missy wilted a little and her hand jumped up to toy with her emerald ringlets, “I’ve tried a couple of times since then, but I just can’t seem to get the hang of it…”

“Can you at least remember how you felt?”

Missy shut her eyes and puckered her lips, trying to recall the sensation of teleportation. Mona had to yank her gently out of the way of an oncoming minion staggering under a pile of books as they walked.

“Mm, I just remember being really scared, and praying that it would work so I could help you!”

Mona let out a small, thoughtful exhalation. Just like with summoning, Missy seemed to recall a feeling of fear spurring her on. Mona could remember her first few acts of magic being fear-based too, in fact. Yet Mona had managed to develop her powers beyond simple fight-or-flight reflexes, and Missy’s situations seemed different, somehow…

“Well, perhaps with enough introspection, you’ll be able to learn it like you learned how to summon things,” said Mona, finally, with a shrug. 

“Oh… Well! I suppose so,” said Missy, finally letting go of her hair and scratching the back of her neck instead.

Mona felt a pang of guilt. Once again, she was failing miserably as a teacher. But what else could she do? She didn’t even know the secret to her own teleportation… But maybe…

“Actually, a little hands-on experience might help,” she added, as they approached the catapults.

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“We’re going to take the catapults up to the Clockwork Tower,” said Mona, “But once we get there, we can practice teleporting around outside together before we go in.”

Missy’s eyes lit up and her lips parted into a huge grin, “Oh, Moany, that sounds great! I can’t wait to get there!”

“Then stay quiet a moment while I fix the trajectory, here…” 

Teleporting to the Third Quadrant was a little outside of their catapult’s range, but there was always the secondary catapult at the Explodatorium. Adjusting the mechanisms, Mona finally stood back and went to join Missy in the bucket.

“Alright, hold on,” said Mona, before loosing the restraining rope.

KA CHUNCK!

Once again, the pair were soaring through the air, flying over long stretches of landscape that grew small and patchy with cloud cover as their ascent reached its peak. The way back down was as smooth as usual, and they landed without incident outside the Explodatorium.

“The secondary catapult is just around the back, here,” said Mona, leading Missy around the side of the huge black castle. 

When they arrived, however, the coast was not clear. Not only were there several more catapults than there had been before, but a chestnut-brown Equine was manning one of them, just loading a large rock into the bucket. He turned towards them as Mona faltered, and his ears pricked in recognition.

“Mona? Is that you?”

“…Percy! …Hi.”

Percy trotted forwards, looking surprised.

“You didn’t tell me you’d be coming up here!”

“Well, no. I’m not here to visit, I just–“

“I say, Mona, I have quite the bone to pick with you! What on earth did you mean by turning up here and telling my Magipoo that you wouldn’t be able to attend our wedding?!” 

Mona was momentarily blindsided by the use of such a disgustingly sugary pet-name, but quickly felt heat crawl up the back of her neck as she realized what he was on about. 

“I meant exactly what I said,” she replied, haughtily, recovering herself, “I had to drop out.”

“But you can’t just drop out! Not at such short notice– not after you agreed!” cried Percy, “What could have come up to keep you from coming?!”

Mona tried to speak, but for a moment she couldn’t think of anything to say. She was quite taken aback; Percy was usually so laid-back and understanding. She never could have pictured him standing up to her like this.

“I have to attend to matters of intense scientific study,” Mona began, as firmly as she could, “They need all of my attention, and–“

“Oh, confound your science!!!” cried Percy, interrupting her with a stomp of his hoof, “Is that all you ever think about?! Science, morning, noon and night?!”

“Percy–“

“Of all the reasons you could have picked, this must be the most selfish! But not the most surprising, I suppose!”

Mona gritted her teeth, “Percy. I am sorry that I am unable to attend your wedding. I never meant to cause you any inconvenience. But I am sure you’ll be able to find another maid of honour before–“

“Inconvenience?!” cried Percy, his indignation palpable, “Inconvenience?!! This isn’t about convenience!! Can’t you look past your alchemy for one second and realize–– We didn’t invite you to the wedding to fill a role, we invited you because you are our FRIEND, Mona!”

As he spoke these last words, the fight seemed to leave him, somewhat, and he lowered his head, mournfully.

“…Don’t you realize that?”

Mona’s lips were pressed together in a thin line, and her eyes were nearly as narrow. She had never expected a lecture like this, least of all from Percy. Part of her wanted so desperately to tell him the truth, to seek his counsel, -however dubious it might be- to hear his amiable laugh and have him tell her he could help her on her way. But that would only make things worse. Even Percy couldn’t possibly be easygoing enough to accept the truth… 

Without a word, Mona stalked past him, with Missy in toe. Percy watched them, looking as if he wanted to stop them, but falling back as he thought better of it. The defeated look in his eyes was almost heartbreaking… Mona could barely look.

She seethed. Why did he have to make this so… difficult? Why did everyone have to make this so difficult? Why was it so gods-damned hard to do the right thing?! She was suffering through this difficult, dangerous mission, which would end in her own death, all for the greater good and safety of the entire Valley– and all anybody could do was get in her way! Selfish? Mona could talk about selfish! King Knight fussing over his ‘stolen’ kingdom, Spectre Knight agonizing over his stupid trinket, Mole Knight and his chamber, Treasure Knight and his petty revenge– all these piddling, stupid preoccupations, and all of them dead set against her! It was the height of ungrateful!! And now, here was Percy, being a nuisance yet again, but this time he– why did he have to be so– why did he have to make her feel so–?!

Mona barely realized she’d inputted the correct coordinates and weight values into the catapult until she felt Missy tug on her cape.

“Moany..?”

“…It’s ready. Get in.”

KACHUNCK.

 

By the time the pair arrived at the base of the Clockwork Tower, Mona had managed to calm down, somewhat. Her previous anger had melted into a simmering sludge in the pit of her stomach. 

“Well, here we are,” she said, tersely, “I guess we should go in.”

“Oh! But, um,” said Missy, uncertainly, “Weren’t we going to… er, never mind.”

 

Getting into the Clockwork Tower took a little longer than expected. The pair had to wend their way around enormous rotating gears that jutted out of deep trenches in the earth. They made such a monumental rumbling and clattering that it was barely possible to hear anything. Mona communicated mainly through gestures and eye contact, beckoning Missy curtly this way and that, until they arrived at a great iron door. Inset into the door was what appeared to be a knocker, above which was a downwards-facing arrow.

Mona remembered this from the last time they visited. She reached out, and yanked on it, heavily. Above the din of the gears rose a gonging so loud it vibrated up in Mona’s body, as if the sound had somehow gotten inside her. Missy seemed to feel it as well, judging by her shiver. A few moments later, a metal indent behind the knocker was removed, showing the obscured face of a Cogslotter. They surveyed the two women for a moment.

“HELLO?!” shrilled Missy, as loud as she could. Mona winced.

The Cogslotter turned their hidden eyes to her before disappearing again. A moment later, a full hatch appeared out of the huge metal door and swung open, revealing an inner area panelled in wood. The Cogslotter motioned them in, and closed the hatch behind them. A light clicked on as they entered, and for a moment they were trapped in the cramped -and shockingly quiet- little space.

“Hullo,” said the Cogslotter at a normal volume, “Welcome to the Clockwork Tower. Would you mind stating your business?”

Mona was about to speak, when the ‘slotter scratched the back of his neck, “Er, I remember you, actually. You’re the lift lady, right? Plague Knight’s girlfriend?”

Mona was momentarily taken aback by the designation.

“I’m– Y-yes?”

“Are you here to visit Tinker?”

“Yes.”

“Right, follow me, then.”

Turning away, the Cogslotter opened another hatch, which lead into an enormous, cathedral-tall room. Gazing up revealed the walls to be a frenzy of clockwork activity, all moving in a half-jerky, half-graceful tandem. The loudness was back, and the ‘slotter gestured at them wordlessly to follow. He lead them down a narrow, purplish carpet that had definitely seen better days, to what appeared to be an elevator.  
After they’d all shuffled in, the Cogslotter pulled a large lever, which sent their little metal box shooting upwards, rising past the surrounding machinery with a loud whoosh. Missy shuffled closer to Mona, nervously, who grudgingly allowed her to remain there, and gave her shoulder a -hopefully- comforting pat. 

The trip seemed to last for an age, which wasn’t surprising; the Clockwork Tower was one of the tallest structures in The Valley– possibly THE tallest, now that the Tower of Fate had fallen. As they went, the sound of metal grinding on metal began to fade, and when they reached the very top, it seemed to stop entirely. Getting out, Missy was a little wobbly on her feet.

“Oh, I hate that…” she whispered, “The Enchantress used to do something similar but with floating blocks… it was awful…”

Mona raised an eyebrow. She wanted to point out that Missy seemed to be perfectly fine with catapulting, but she supposed everyone had their own set of inexplicable phobias…

“Just through here,” said the Cogslotter, “Just stay quiet an’ don’t make any sudden movements. Tinker hates being disturbed while he’s at work.”

Mona was definitely aware of Tinker Knight’s irritability. The last time he’d been bothered on the job, he’d tried to crush the culprit with an entire mech.   
The Cogslotter walked to a large crank, and began to turn it, causing a flat stretch of flooring to sink down into a staircase. Then he jogged ahead and knocked carefully on a door with a very emphatically scribbled ‘DO NOT DISTURB!’ sign pasted on it. A little while later, the ’slotter beckoned the two women inside.

Tinker Knight’s workshop was a simple, brick room. A large, low-set work-desk took up most of the far wall, which was covered in tools and tacked-up blueprints. A single hanging lamp illuminated the area, showing a few half-finished projects, and leaving the rest of it in relative darkness. Mona hadn’t seen the workshop when she’s previously visited. They’d convened in a larger chamber where her Lifts could be installed instead.

“Well now! Ms… Mopes, was it?”

Mona looked down to see the diminutive engineer trundling towards her, wiping his gloves on a rag sticking out of his pocket.

“Gotta say, this is a short-notice visit. Is there some kinda emergency?”

“In a manner of speaking,” said Mona, suddenly feeling self-conscious. 

Once again, she was in the presence of THE Tinker Knight, who was something of a personal hero. This time, however, she didn’t have Plague Knight to buffer the interaction or provide any moral support. She simply had to deal with her star-struck feelings on her own.

“I’m here to. Um…” Mona cleared her throat and ran a hand through her hair, “That is to say…”

“Quick as you please,” interjected Tinker Knight, “I was in the middle of something.”

“O-oh, I…”

“We’re here for your Essence, Sir Tinker Knight!” cried Missy, nearly causing Mona to choke on her own spluttering.

“You what?!”

“We ah– We–“ Mona floundered, “What she means to say is, we– W-we–– Yes. Yes, we’re here to… t-to ask you if you could possibly… loan– er, give… us a piece of your Essence. Please.”

Tinker Knight folded his arms, and Mona felt as if she were being focused under a magnifying glass.

“I thought you two were done with that stuff,” said Tinker Knight, at length.

“It’s not that,” said Mona, quickly, “This is something, er, different. Please, s– e-er, Tinker Knight, it’s very important. I need your Essence, and I’m willing to offer something in return.”

Mona felt a little queasy. She didn’t like feeling so vulnerable. It was rare that she ever encountered anyone who could fluster her like this, but then again, it was rare she encountered anyone who’s opinion she actually cared for. In Tinker Knight’s case, it was even worse, as she looked up to him -figuratively- as an elder and instructor, the way one might see a teacher. She’d been nervous enough when she’d first met him face-to-face. But now that she was risking that hesitant friendship they’d formed… 

“Something in return, huh?”

“Yes. Anything you ask. …Within reason.”

Mona found herself withdrawing again into that protective shell; putting on her stoniest face and letting her voice fall to a monotonous humdrum. It was easier in here; easier to pretend she wasn’t so nervous. 

“…Hm.”

Tinker Knight stood silently, looking between Mona and Missy. 

“Well, I don’t know what you’re up to. But I suppose I could trade for my Essence.”

Mona perked up, ever so slightly. She was still hidden behind her protective wall, but she was peeking out from behind it, so to speak. 

“Really?”

“Sure… But I’m gonna need a few favours from ya first.”

“What kind of favours?” asked Missy.

“Well, let’s see…” Tinker Knight turned away and ambled over to his workbench, where he picked up a few papers and shuffled them around, seemingly looking for something, “Rafe, c’mere a sec.”

The Cogslotter that had brought them in quickly rushed to Tinker Knight’s side. The pair began to speak in hushed voices. Mona and Missy glanced at each other, unsure of what was taking place, until the two men turned back to them again.

“The boss has some tasks for you,” said Rafe, walking back over, “I’ll be in charge of getting you to and from. Follow me, please.”

Mona nodded, getting up quickly.

“I, ah– Thank you,” she called to Tinker Knight, who was at his desk again. He waved at her in response, without speaking. 

Mona followed Rafe back out of the workshop and up the flight of stairs towards the elevator, with Missy beside her.

“Ah,” Mona glanced down at her companion, suddenly realizing something, “Are these favours going to be mechanical in nature?”

“A bit,” replied Rafe, letting them into the elevator. 

Mona nodded. She would need to show her new tasks the utmost attention and care, if she was to gain Tinker Knight’s trust. And that meant no distractions.

“Is there a place my protégé can wait?” she continued, “She’ll be awfully bored up here while we’re working, so…”

“But Moany, I don’t want to go,” whispered Missy, “What if you need help?”

“This is all going to be very technical,” Mona muttered back, “Engineering stuff. Unless you know anything about building gadgets, you won’t be able to help me at all, even if I need it.”

Missy pouted, “Oh yeah… I guess you’re right.”

“Uhh, we can put her in the Mage-House,” offered Rafe, tugging on the lever to set them on their descent, “The main tower’s pretty loud, I doubt she’ll have a good time, here.”

“The what house?” asked Mona.

“Mage-House,” replied Rafe, “It’s a recreational space for our resident Gear Wizzems. It’s located outside the tower so that the guys can get a bit of rest and relaxation between work. She can wait there, and the men can look after her.” 

“I think that would be best,” said Mona, before muttering to Missy, “You can practice your teleportation while I’m gone.”

Missy perked up a little, “O-okay! Maybe we can do it together when you come back!”

Mona replied with a noncommittal grunt, unsure of how her mood would be after she faced whatever was in store for her. It seemed like she’d have to do several times the work for this Essence. It wasn’t a fight, but it did seem a bit exorbitant… She didn’t want to promise Missy anything in case she was too sulky to deliver a properly engaging experience.

“That sounds fine,” she called back to Rafe, her voice raised a bit to carry over the quickly increasing thuds and clicks of the approaching machinery, “Thank you.”

 

Once Missy had been handed off to another Cogslotter to be taken down to the Mage-House, Mona was whisked away to another area of the Clockwork Tower via elevator. Rafe was silent as he directed her along, taking her past vast stretches of purplish brick and innumerable, shiny, rotating cogs, unable to speak again as the surroundings were so loud. Mona wondered how he would be able to tell her what she was doing when they reached their destination. Speaking of which…

When Rafe finally beckoned Mona to a stop, the pair were standing on a wood-panelled piece of flooring that cut off in a sharp drop, after which was a confusing landscape of moving platforms and whirring conveyer belts. Climbing up a latter just in front of them was another Cogslotter. Rafe reached down and helped them up, then reached out with one of his gloved hands and placed it on their shoulder. He proceeded to tap his fingers in quick succession as his coworker stood still. As Mona watched, she realized he was communicating by some kind of tactile code. How clever!  
Once he was finished, the second Cogslotter nodded and turned to Mona. Pulling a clipboard and pencil out of their apron, they flipped over a few papers and scribbled something down before showing it to Mona.

‘Hello. I am Rhona. You must help me test the weight calibrations on this new section. Follow me, and do not fall.’

“Do not fall?” Mona called, her voice swallowed up by the surrounding clanking, “What..?”

But her question was quickly answered by Rhona putting away her clipboard and leaping onto a nearby moving platform, which Mona now realized was suspended above a perilous drop.   
After a moment’s hesitation, Mona followed suit, making a running jump for the next platform, which followed the first at a speedy pace. Balancing on top, Mona felt the platform strain a little under her weight, but it held firm. Good. She expected nothing less from the Clockwork Tower.

Looking up, Mona set her sights on Rhona, who was pacing gingerly on her platform, as if ready to alight from it at any moment. Mona had seen Tinker Knight’s workforce in action for a few moments when she’d first visited, and they were surprisingly light on their feet for their brawny size.  
As if to prove her point, Rhona suddenly leapt from her perch and landed on a nearby conveyer belt, which she carefully edged across, using her gait to prevent it from moving her too quickly along. Mona knew her turn would be coming up, and suddenly realized that she would fare very poorly if her skirts and cape got in the way. With a wave of her hand, she banished her gown and cloak, leaving her in her stockings and boots. With a careful hop, Mona followed Rhona onto the conveyer belt, and balanced herself as best she could as it suddenly whisked her off her feet.

She saw Rhona already jumping ahead to another belt, and made an effort to think about the situation. The runway she was currently on was moving her forward at a fast pace. If she stayed still, she could let it carry her onwards, and possibly gain a little ground on her guide. Widening her stance, Mona allowed the belt to bear her, unresisting, to her next challenge, which she leapt to with a graceful hop, only to nearly trip upon landing. This conveyer belt was turning the opposite way, and quickly, too. Mona had to run against its pull to make any ground, while Rhona was already catching another moving platform up ahead.

‘Thank goodness I’m dead,’ Mona thought to herself, ruefully, ’This would be murder otherwise.’

Quite possibly literally. As Mona jumped to the next platform, she stumbled slightly as the momentum of the runway disappeared, catching sight of the sheer drop below. If she wasn’t careful, she could be thrown off.  
Just as she was thinking this, Mona noticed, to her horror, that there was an enormous brass gear whirling directly at her on the same track that kept her platform in the air. She had no clue how Rhona had avoided it, but it was speeding directly at her.   
Flinching, Mona nearly threw herself onto her stomach, before realizing there was an easier way. Just as the gear passed over her, Mona sublimated herself. The gear’s teeth ripped right through the middle of her head, causing its particles to split apart and reform on the other side. The experience was very disorienting. But at least she hadn’t been knocked off.

Unfortunately, the discombobulation from the encounter caused Mona to lose sight of Rhona. Searching frantically, Mona realized the woman had leapt to another set of belts and sped off ahead. Meanwhile, Mona was still on her platform. She’d missed the jump. Curses! If only she could fly… Her hazy form was still subject to gravity, and even with the added lightness, Mona doubted she’d be able to launch herself much farther than usual.   
Mona remained intangible, watching Rhona move along ahead. The track Mona was on lead up and backwards, circling around to the same spot she’d been earlier. She could wait for the circuit to complete itself and try again, but then she’d be far behind, and she was trying to impress Tinker Knight! What to do, what to do…  
Suddenly, Mona remembered that while she couldn’t fly, she could float. Just then, she had reached the track’s apex, and was now moving backwards along the top part of the loop. There was another platform coming up below her… Making a split second decision, Mona stepped off the edge of her platform and plummeted down. 

‘Come on, come on–‘ 

Mona urged the second platform onwards. It was still a few feet away- she couldn’t miss it! Concentrating, she slowed her fall just enough so that the moving piece of flooring could catch up with her, then alighted on it with a slight wobble. Yes! She was back on track– now, to make that jump this time!

Catching up to Rhona would be a difficult feat, but Mona reasoned that she just had to get into the rhythm of the machine. Clockwork moved like… well, clockwork. It had a set speed, and an unrelenting pace. Like the steps of a dance. If Mona could simply synchronize herself to that dance, she could work with the clockwork.  
As she moved, Mona imagined herself back in the Potionarium. She could see Oolong sitting at his station, rubbing his head thoughtfully. 

‘Oolong, play me a song,’ she thought, as she began to hum under her breath.

Step step step, whirl, hop, sublimate, pause, step step, whirl, pause, step! As Mona slowly began to make out the beat of the tower’s machinery, she neared not only her guide, but the end of the stretch as well. When she finally alighted on solid ground at the end of the gauntlet, she made a little pirouette, momentarily lost in the tune playing in her head.

Shuffling to a halt, she recovered herself, feeling a little embarrassed, and looked towards Rhona, who was staring at her. Mona adjusted her sleeves, feeling self-conscious, before Rhona finally reanimated and beckoned to her. Mona dutifully fell into step, and soon the two were boarding another elevator. Rhona seemed a little nervous and fidgety as they went, and when they arrived at another, slightly quieter part of the tower, she quickly handed Mona off to a new colleague.

This one managed to introduce himself vocally.

“I’m Tanner! Welcome to the engineering complex! I hear you’re something of a tinkerer yourself! Mind helping me with these?”

He lead her over to a table laden with metallic parts and two large, unfinished engines.

“Fascinating,” Mona called back to him, unable to hide her enthusiasm. 

These looked incredible! Intricate, and almost delicate in the way all the parts fit together. Whatever these were built for, it was a very complicated machine… 

“So how–?”

“Blueprints,” replied Tanner, handing her a large scroll of paper, “Tools are on the wall.”

With that, he returned to the engine on the left. Mona was a little taken aback, but opened the scroll anyway. No time to waste.  
The plans on the inside were extremely complex, which was to be expected, but the handwriting they were in was, unfortunately, chicken scratch.

‘Oh hells– How am I supposed to understand this?’ Mona thought to herself as she ran her fingers over the designs.

Looking between the blueprints and the hunk of metal parts on the table, Mona tried to figure out what she was dealing with, here. She could get a general sense of which bit was which, but without a complete understanding, she was going in blind…   
Stepping back from the table, Mona peeked over at the Cogslotter next to her. He seemed to know what he was doing. From the way he looked at his set of blueprints, he could read the writing on them. Maybe he’d written it himself? Something told her he wouldn’t tell her if she asked, or help her in any way. This was a test… a challenge. But Mona wasn’t just an engineer; she was an alchemist! And the last refuge of alchemy was trickery! Mona didn’t need to decipher her set of instructions if she let Tanner do all the work. So rather than attempt to do so, she watched Tanner carefully, following his moves.

As she toiled on, Mona found herself getting into the swing of things. The more she followed Tanner’s example, the more she felt she understood the engine itself. Whatever it was, it seemed to be less a simple motor, and more of a heart of something greater… something immense. It was only when Mona chanced a glance at Tanner’s blueprints and noticed a doodle that wasn’t present on her own that she realized what she was working on. This… this was the central mechanism for Tinker Knight’s signature Tinker Tank!

After a few hours, Mona was covered in grease and rust, but she stood back proudly to admire her handiwork. It wasn’t completely finished, but it was getting there. Mona was almost certain she’d put it all together properly… Tanner moved beside her to do so as well, and seemed quite surprised.

“…Not bad,” he yelled, “I guess that’s it! Ahh… You’d better follow me!”

Mona calmly walked behind Tanner, feeling excitement burn in her chest. Not only had she had an opportunity to work on one of the most advanced creations in The Valley, -and possibly The Land- but she’d actually managed to gain a certain understanding of it. Watching and copying the techniques Tanner had employed had given her a score of new ideas for improvements and inventions of her own! 

She was so lost in thought that she didn’t notice they’d arrived at an elevator until they were standing in front of it in silence. Mona had expected Tanner to open it and usher her in, but he was simply waiting with his fingers tapping at his sides.

“What’s going on?” shouted Mona, over the sound of ticking and clunking. 

“You’re gonna have to make it back to Tinker’s workshop on your own. I’ve got stuff to do. This is the cardinal elevator– good luck!”

With that, Tanner left her standing in front of the doors, disappearing back into the engineering complex. Mona turned to look at the box before her. Last leg! She was almost finished…  
First of all, she needed to figure out how to get into the thing in the first place. This wasn’t too difficult to figure out; she’d seen the other Cogslotters press a certain spot on the doors to open them. Feeling about carefully, Mona managed to find the mechanism she was looking for, and the doors slid open. Stepping inside, Mona looked around for the lever that usually operated the machine. However, this time, there were several levers in place, all with arrow shapes embossed on their pivots.

‘Oh… The cardinal elevator… Like the four cardinal directions!’

Mona winced. This wasn’t just an elevator– this was a free-moving elevator. She’d have to maneuver the box by herself. There was no set path.  
Oh well… Grabbing ahold of the lever that pointed upwards, Mona yanked on it and thanked her lucky stars that at least there was no Z axis involved.

It took her a while to get used to the controls. The elevator shuddered every time she changed directions, and she was a little worried she might push it too far and break it. But once she had a sense of how to pilot it, Mona focused on making her way to her destination.  
First things first, Tinker Knight’s workshop was at the very top of the tower. She knew this. It should be fairly easy, then, to make her way there; she simply had to keep going up.  
Going up, however, was not as easy a feat as it had been in the other elevators. This one was set on a maze-like track that took it on various detours through obscure wings of the Clockwork Tower. Out the reinforced glass windows, Mona could see rocket-powered knives whizzing past, and Cogslotters winding up little mechanical mice. Ordinarily, Mona would have been excited to explore and see everything for herself. But now, she was on a mission, and she had to remember that…  
Shunting along, Mona made her way left, right, up, down and around, running into dead ends here and there, but slowly making progress towards the zenith. She navigated mostly on sound, gravitating towards areas of increased silence. When she finally found the elevator itself to be the loudest thing around her, Mona finally brought the contraption to a stop at its station, and gingerly got out.

For a moment, she wasn’t sure if she’d made it. Should she go back in? But ah! There it was… the crank, which would open the descending stairs…

After a few good turns, Mona was able to hurry down into the corridor that lead to the door with the ‘DO NOT DISTURB’ sign planted on it. Reaching out, Mona nearly pulled the handle, before remembering that she had to knock.

Tap tap tap. Silence. 

Mona stood still, waiting for someone to let her in. But there was no answer. Tentatively, Mona pushed open the door and stepped inside. The workshop was pitch-black, and from the sound of it, empty. Where was Tinker Knight?

“Hello..?”

Again, no response. Mona hesitated a little longer, before edging into the room and feeling along the walls for some kind of light-switch. She did her best not to trip or knock anything over as she went, wondering what was going on. She stopped a moment later, however, when the lights suddenly flickered to life without her touching a thing.  
Whirling around, Mona beheld Tinker Knight standing in the doorway, looking up at her.

“O-oh! Tinker Knight, I–“

“Ms. Mopes.”

Mona immediately clammed up completely, anxiety getting the better of her. She just had to calm down… see what this was all about. She might not be in trouble.

“I see you managed to find your way up here,” continued Tinker Knight, approaching her. 

“Yes.”

“Not bad… Not bad at all.”

Tinker Knight slowly made his way to his desk and arranged a few writing implements before speaking again.

“I think it would be best to cut right to the chase, Ms. Mopes. I haven’t been entirely honest with you.”

Mona blinked.

“Ah..?”

“I never intended to give you my Essence. The moment you made the request, I was already developing a plan to get rid of you before you could take it by force.”

Mona’s heart sank. Being duped by someone she looked up to was painful enough, but knowing that she’d have to figure out a potentially more violent way to get what she wanted from him was even worse. However, Tinker Knight wasn’t finished speaking…

“I set you several demanding tasks, both of the physical and mental variety, to tire you out while I developed an escape plan for myself, and a plan of attack for my Cogslotters. I intended to get the drop on you while you were tuckered out… However, when my workers returned to me, they told me you’d pulled off each request with aplomb.”

There was a small silence. The diminutive Knight sighed softly and rubbed the back of his head. 

“Truth is, I was focused on the last time someone asked for my Essence. I was thinking of Plague Knight and his antics, and my wounded pride… Rather than remembering you, and those clever lifts of yours. And how things have changed… I’m sorry.”

Tinker Knight planted his fists on his hips and stared up at her. 

“You’re a stand up engineer and a tinkerer after my own heart. And I gotta commend you for that. I might not be tall enough to see eye-to-eye with you, but I think, if things were different, you woulda made an excellent Cogslotter. So… I’ve changed my mind. If you need my Essence for… whatever you’re up to, you can have it. Just… get it over with quickly.”

Tinker Knight stood still, bracing himself. Mona stared. She couldn’t speak for some time. She wasn’t used to being spoken to like that. Praised and congratulated by someone she considered an authority figure. At the Academy, her teachers had discouraged her alchemical creativity, and at home her parents had forbidden her from tinkering. The only person who’d ever been proud of her work was Plague Knight, but he had been her friend… This… This was different.

Mona swallowed, feeling curiously hot and prickly behind her eyes and throat, then muttered, “It won’t hurt. I have a better way of doing it.”

After tracing the usual alchemical circle and carefully removing Tinker Knight’s Essence, she held the silvery, softly-swirling sphere in her hand for a moment. 

“Hells… That’s it, ain’t it?” whispered Tinker Knight, gazing up, “Incredible…”

“Yeah…” Mona murmured softly, before getting a grip on herself and feeding the ball of light into the Portable Decanter for safe storage. 

Once she was finished, she glanced down at Tinker Knight shyly, feeling her face heat up even more.

“I… I-I… Thank you, I…”

She wanted to tell him how much his approval and apology meant to her, but before she could figure out a way to articulate it, the workshop door flew open and a figure burst inside.

“Didn’t you read the sign?!” shouted Tinker Knight gruffly, rounding on the intruder, “What in the hells are you–“

“Tinker Knight! We’ve got an emergency!”

The visitor was dressed in the baggy garments of a Wizzem, with the characteristic wide-brimmed, conical hat pulled low over his eyes. He seemed frazzled, and rather out of breath.

“Well, spit it out! What are you waiting for?” cried Tinker Knight.

“The girl– the green girl staying at the Mage-House– she’s been kidnapped!”

Mona’s eyes widened.

“What?!”

“A knight in red armour and three men in helmets attacked the House,” explained the Wizzem, gesticulating, “The men grabbed the girl and dragged her off, and the knight engaged us! We couldn’t get past her shield, and–“

“I have to get down there, NOW,” Mona interrupted him urgently, turning to Tinker Knight, “What’s the fastest way out of here?”

“Come with me!”

Moments later, Tinker Knight had slammed some sort of hidden button on the floor with his foot. The next second, the surface beneath them descended quickly, letting the rest of Tinker Knight’s workshop speed away above them. Then Tinker Knight himself was pulling a long, familiar looking lever out of the ground and giving it a sharp crank. With a resounding clatter, Mona’s Torque Lifts burst out of the ground and carried them downwards at a dizzying pace. They spiralled through the tower, turning in circles, until the Lifts dropped them off in a room with a large window.

“OVER HERE!” shouted Tinker Knight, over the din, beckoning Mona to the opening. Mona rushed after him, and the Knight lead her to a large balcony overlooking the enormous outer gears of the Clockwork Tower, “THIS IS ANOTHER LIFT! IT CAN TAKE US DOWN TO–“

“THANKS,” shouted Mona, interrupting him, “I’LL BE FINE FROM HERE!”

So saying, Mona stepped up onto the balcony railing and pushed off, plummeting over the side. As she went, she implored her body to slow, so that she landed without incident. The moment she hit the ground, she fell into a formless mass and sped across the landscape, looking for the Mage-House.

She managed to find it fairly quickly; the area outside the Clockwork Tower was barren, and the only building in sight was currently in the midst of a brawl. Gear Wizzems were conjuring their namesake projectiles, all attempting to take down a Knight in gleaming red armour. Mona rose up into her solid form as she got close, and conjured a hail of bombs over top of her. The red Knight noticed them just in time and raised her shield up, blocking the explosives, and hopping over an oncoming cog.

“Shield Knight!” cried Mona, striding forwards, “Where is she?”

Shield Knight glanced up, and her expression was contemptuous, “So you came. Just as I’d hoped.”

“I don’t care what you’re up to,” Mona said, flatly, “Just tell me where she is. Now.”

The Gear Wizzems began to back off, able to see that this wasn’t their fight anymore. Shield Knight stood up straight, no longer besieged, and shook her head.

“She’s gone, now.”

“What do you mean, gone?” asked Mona, her voice cracking, unable to stay calm, “What did you do to her?”

“She’ll be taken care of. And so will you..!”

Shield Knight leapt at Mona, and Mona immediately sublimated to avoid her attack. Shield Knight sped past her, then rounded about in shock.

“Where have you gone?! Face me, you vile woman!”

“I don’t want to fight you,” Mona spat, “I want to know what you did with Missy!!”

Mona was dead. She was already past the point of no return. But Missy? Missy was alive. She hadn’t Fledged yet; her soul was still inside her body, and her heart still beat. If Shield Knight had kidnapped her… If she’d… Would she? Would Shield Knight actually kill her?

Shield Knight had managed to spot Mona’s undulating black figure now, and was skimming towards it at lightning speeds. This time, Mona felt her form break up somewhat; Shield Knight’s speed and ferocity and blown her apart, and if she didn’t focus, she might not be able to reform properly.

“Stop it!” Mona shouted, as Shield Knight came at her again, “Stop fighting! You are acting like a child!”

“A child? And what do you care of children?” cried Shield Knight, “What do you care of anything except destruction?! Stand and fight me like a woman, you coward! Face your fate!”

Mona seethed, “Alright, you want to be like this? You want to swing your shield around like a big baby and make demands? Fine! You knights are all the same!”

Becoming solid again, Mona summoned a halo of Orbit-bombs, “Try smashing into me again!”

Shield Knight did just that, barreling at her again with her weapon drawn. To her consternation, however, Mona found herself being knocked backwards as her bombs exploded harmlessly on the round red surface. She flung up her hands to protect herself, and was tossed to the ground. Pushing herself up, Mona beheld Shield Knight coming to a stop before her and drawing back her free hand to lance her buckler. 

Mona gritted her teeth. She was tired of this. She was tired of fighting, tired of Shield Knight and her belligerent attitude and impregnable defence. Mona clenched her fists, staring at the huge red circle before her. She just wanted to pierce it, burn a hole straight through like a cinder on paper…   
The formula for combustion filled her mind. Ignition was so simple, in alchemy… Most things burst into flames. It was a side-effect of science; heat and light always signified a change… 

Mona raised up her left hand, and thrust it forwards as the buckler whirled through the air. At the same moment, a white hot ball of flames left her fingers and connected, blasting the disk back through the air to its owner, who caught it in shock. Mona rose up, her palms licking with flames.

“WHERE IS SHE?!” she roared at the top of her voice.

Shield Knight immediately threw up her defences, and Mona leapt directly at them. She landed on the shield, grabbing onto the top with one burning hand, and pressing the other to the surface. She pushed as hard as she could, until she felt the metal begin to melt beneath her digits. She was sure she was scalding herself, too, but she happened to be using her charred hand. It didn’t matter… Not now.  
Finally, Shield Knight managed to buck her off, but Mona leapt to her feet again and tossed a barrage of fireballs at her foe. It was working! The Knight was falling back! Her shield was becoming increasingly charred and unstable. However, just as Mona was about to land another blow, the buckler returned, whirling through the air to strike Mona squarely in the jaw.  
Reeling back, Mona had to take a moment to right herself, and when she did, she found Shield Knight running in the other direction.

“NO!”

Mona made to speed after her, but suddenly, there was a flash of green.

“Moany!”

“Missy?!”

This momentary distraction gave Shield Knight enough time to slip away, but Mona didn’t care. Instead she rushed to the young woman’s side, her flames winking out in an instant as she fell to her knees and reached out to her. 

“Missy! W-what happened? How did you get here? Did they hurt you?” asked Mona, nearly tripping over herself as she attempted to ask all three questions at once.

“I-I’m okay!” said Missy, gingerly taking Mona’s offered arm to steady herself. 

She seemed quite shaken and her ringlets were all askew. Mona was already searching her memory for a health potion.

“I was just practicing my teleporting,” Missy babbled, “And suddenly, some Tundreads appeared and ran up to me! I remembered them from the Tower of Fate, so at first I wasn’t afraid… but then one of them stunned me! By the time I came back to myself, they were carrying me off, and that red Knight was passing by us!”

Mona managed to summon a potion and offered it to Missy, who took it and fumbled with the cork as she spoke, “I managed to summon some things to distract the Tundreads, then I wriggled away and teleported back! And then… w-well, you were here, and the red Knight was running away, and…”

“It’s okay,” said Mona, her anxiety ebbing quickly, “It’s… It’s all over now. I… I’m glad you escaped.”

It was suddenly dawning on her how much she meant that. And how destroyed she would be if anything else had happened. Like Plague Knight before her, Missy had grown on Mona, slowly. She was annoyingly cheerful and enthusiastic, with a penchant for asking uncomfortable questions. But she was also clever, resourceful and really quite charming, in a way. Over time, Mona had come to truly care for her as a protégé… and as a friend. If anything had happened to her, Mona wasn’t sure what she would have done. 

“Me too,” mumbled Missy.

She seemed to be steady, now, and let go of Mona’s arm to readjust her robes a little. Mona remained kneeling on the ground beside her for a few more moments, before standing up again. By that time, the Gear Wizzems were approaching tentatively, and Tinker Knight himself was rolling towards them on his Mobile Gear. 

“Everything alright?” he called, waving, “Do I need to break out the tank?”

“The fight’s over,” Mona replied, “Missy is safe. Thank you.”

 

By the time the two women returned to the Potionarium, Missy was back to herself, and the bumps and scrapes she’d received during her attempted kidnapping were quickly healing. She did, however, remain more subdued than usual. Mona assumed it was simply the aftermath from the experience, and suggested Missy go to the barracks to rest. Yet, when Mona returned from delivering Tinker Knight’s Essence to the Decanter, Missy was still standing by her desk, looking fretful.

“Missy? I thought I told you to go lie down,” said Mona, frowning as she approached.

“I-I know,” said Missy, tugging on her curls, “But I wanted to talk to you. Something’s been bothering me.”

Mona’s frown deepened slightly, but she came to a stop in front of her protégé to listen.

“What is it?”

“…Moany? How do you know you’re going to be bad?”

Mona stared in surprise.

“What?”

“This whole time, we’ve been attempting to create a specialized explosive to destroy your soul-object and wipe you off the face of earth,” began Missy, “all because you’re convinced that you’re gonna turn into an evil tyrant. But how do you know that?”

“I… Don’t be silly. I told you,” replied Mona, “As an Enchantress, my power will eventually corrupt my mind. I must stop myself before that happens.”

“But how do you KNOW that?” repeated Missy, clenching her fists, “The whole time I’ve known you, you’ve never done anything evil! In fact, you actually do a lot of good!”

“What are you talking about,” said Mona, sharply, “I’m no charity worker.”

“No, but all this time we’ve been gathering Essences, you could have done anything to get them. You could have used blackmail, or planted secret bombs, or used kidnapping and ransom… But instead you always tried to trade, or use favours! You gave Sir King Knight his throne back, and helped Sir Mole Knight get inside that room, and brought Specty some closure, and helped Sir Tinker Knight with his chores… You only ever used violence when somebody threatened you first!”

“Because I’m not strong enough to take them by force,” sighed Mona, running a hand through her hair, “I told you that. I’m an alchemist; alchemists don’t fight.”

“But you did!” cried Missy, “You fought the red Knight to save me!”

Mona blinked. Had Missy seen some of their skirmish? 

“O-of course I did. I was worried about you! She wouldn’t have let me past, otherwise! But–”

“See? The only time you ever fought was for a good reason!”

“I had no other choice,” snapped Mona, “And it was barely a fight! If I hadn’t conjured those flames, she would have crushed me!”

“But you did conjure those flames! And you conjured them for me!”

“Yes! And I would have burned right through her armour,” Mona gritted her teeth, “I would have seared her to the bone! Burnt her to ash! Does that sound like something a good person would do?!”

Missy spluttered, “But– But–“

“It doesn’t matter if it was for your safety or not,” said Mona, coldly, “Excuses… It’s all just excuses. They only get bigger as you slip farther and farther…”

“Then…” Missy stared down at her feet, her curls obscuring her face, “…Do you think I’m going to turn bad, too?”

Mona flinched.

“What?! Of course not!” she cried, before she could even think about it.

It was a ridiculous notion. Missy was so kind and helpful and annoyingly cheery; she could never become someone like The Enchantress. The concept was almost laughable. Almost. 

“But why not? What’s the difference?! We’re both Enchantresses!” shouted Missy, looking up again, her eyes gleaming wetly, “Mona! Why are you different?! WHY?!”

Mona stood there, frozen for a few moments, before closing her eyes and turning away. 

“You don’t understand,” she murmured.

She’d been cursed from birth. Her parents had known it from the start. All those years of isolation and misery… they had to be proof of something… they had to.

“I guess I don’t,” replied Missy, quietly. 

There was a long silence.

“…I’m sorry,” she whispered. 

Mona remained still for a few more moments, before motioning to the corridor.

“You should really go get some rest.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! I've officially finished the last chapter, and all I have to write is the epilogue! So hopefully, uploading will speed up a bit, now! (fingers crossed).   
> Once again, thank you all so much for your kind words of encouragement; they all mean so much to me! I'm always glad to hear that you guys are enjoying the story.  
> Anon, I hope this chapter answered (or at least semi-answered) your question about why Mona trusts Missy.   
> Until next time! -TS


	17. The Party

The next morning, Mona found herself in Missy’s presence a little earlier than usual. The young woman had risen bright and early and rushed into the lab with her usual eagerness, though she seemed al little hesitant to engage in conversation immediately. As soon as she came within a few feet of Mona’s desk, she slowed down and half-edged towards her instead.

“Uh, good morning, Moany!”

“Good morning.”

“So… Are we going to look for more Essences today..?”

Mona glanced up from her book and stared at Missy with lidded eyes. She could tell she was still a little worried about last night’s argument. But Mona had already put it behind her. So long as Missy wasn’t going to push the issue, Mona could forgive her bringing it up. She fully acknowledged how confusing and unpleasant the situation was, but she would rather not talk about it, if possible… 

“Yes,” Mona replied, calmly, “We’re headed for the Flying Machine today.”

“Ooh! The Flying Machine? Sir Propeller Knight’s flagship?!” cried Missy excitedly, completely forgetting her earlier trepidation.

“That’s right,” said Mona, getting up, “We should teleport to the vicinity of the Clockwork Tower for proximity. We can try doing it together to improve accuracy. I–“

She was just about to continue her brief, when there was a loud grumble. Missy winced and hugged herself, sheepishly.

“Oops! That was me…”

“You’d better go solve that before we head out, then.”

As Missy quickly dashed off to the kitchens, Mona returned to her seat. She wasn’t alone for long, however, as another set of footsteps pattered into the lab. Mona recognized the gait with a start.

“Plague Knight?”

Sure enough, the diminutive alchemist shuffled into the room, looking as uncertain as the previous visitor.

“Er, h-hello, Mona!” 

“Hi,” Mona greeted, eyeing him as he approached. 

From his body language, it was clear he was hesitant to speak to her. It seemed he still wasn’t over the awkward reveal of his true nature.

“Heh, h-how are you, today?”

“I’m fine…”

Plague Knight shuffled a little more, before sidling up to her desk.

“So! Ah… Heh… I know it’s part of your secret project, and all… But do you still have Spectre Knight’s Essence? I was thinking we could… dust off the Decanter together…”

Mona’s stomach turned over. 

“Oh, sorry… I’ve already used the Essence,” she muttered, looking away from him.

“Oh.”

There was a long silence. Mona could hear Plague Knight fidgeting beside her. Finally, he managed to find his voice again.

“Erm, listen…” he spoke up, his voice strained, “I-I uhh… I-I wanted to… to talk to you.”

Mona continued to stare at her inkstand, unable to turn back to him, “Oh yeah..?”

“Eheh, yes! A-and I thought… Why not make a-a date out of it? Nothing special, just ah… A-a little rendezvous in the labs…T-tonight? At eight?”

Mona remained silent for a while, her fists clenched on her desk, her nails digging into her palms. She couldn’t say yes. She couldn’t let it go any further… No more dates. No more closeness. No more encouragement. She had to suck it up and pull away. But actually figuring out how to approach the subject was… difficult. Navigating romance in the first place had been hard enough, but cutting it off without hurting either party? 

She was just about to choke something out, when Missy rushed in.

“Alright, Moany, I’m all ready!”

“O-oh, yes, we should get going,” said Mona, quickly standing up and silently thanking the resident gods for the interruption. 

“U-uh so I’ll see you at eight?!” called Plague Knight, as Mona took Missy’s hand and began the usual steps for teleportation.

She turned back momentarily to give him some kind of noncommittal gesture, but disappeared before she could.

When the pair reappeared, they were in fact standing quite close to the Clockwork Tower, as Mona had intended. Even without Mona’s mind being totally on the job, they were near enough to see the lofty edifice, and to hear the loud clanking and thudding of its gears.

“Hooray! We made it!” cried Missy, over the noise, “It worked!”

“It certainly did,” called Mona, “But we have some walking to do.”

Luckily, the Clockwork Tower was right next to the mountain that served as the docking place for the Flying Machine. It didn’t take long for Mona and Missy to reach the base, and glancing up, Mona could see that the gondola that had been in the works was completed. There was a station nearby, perched on a low outcropping of rock attached to the mountain. Mona made a beeline for it, and Missy followed quickly.  
Once they reached the little building, a pair of Hover Hafts were visible inside, relaxing behind the gate. On Mona and Missy’s approach, they stumbled to attention.

“Halt!” cried the first.

“Show your invitation, please!” cried the second.

Mona blinked in surprise. 

“Invitation?”

“Oh, you don’t have one?”

“Then buzz off!”

Mona narrowed her eyes. “I need to see your boss. Let me up.”

“Sorry, mam’zelle, but the Flying Machine is reserved for one of Propeller Knight’s exclusive parties today! No one is allowed in without an invitation! Besides, even if you had one, you are too early! Come back later!”

“I’m not looking to attend,” Mona grumbled, “I just need to speak to Propeller Knight. If the party hasn’t started yet, I’m sure he has time to see me.”

“No! Dice!” cried the second Hover Haft. 

He didn’t exactly have a door to slam in her face, but he did give the gates a rattle and then turned away, followed by his coworker. Mona heaved a deep sigh.

“W-what do we do, Moany?” asked Missy, fretfully, gazing up at her, “Should we use some magic?”

“Just a little,” said Mona, snapping her fingers and conjuring a sack into her hands, “I know a spell that usually works on these goons.” 

With a jangle, Mona tossed the sack high in the air and caught it. 

“Boys. I think I remembered my invitation.”

The Hover Hafts turned around, curiously. Mona carelessly let the sack in her hands spill open, allowing a shower of brightly coloured stones to clatter to the ground, bouncing across the rocks.

“Oops! Clumsy me,” she said, stooping down to brush them back into her hands, “I’m just terrible at holding onto my things.”

“Is that a… genuine invitation?” asked the second Hover Haft, hesitantly.

“Not an alchemized one?” asked the first. 

“Oh, very genuine,” Mona assured them, as she stood up with the full sack again, “Imported, in fact. Treasure Knight ever so graciously gifted it to me.”

“Well, then, I suppose we could let you up a little early,” said the first Haft, “Right, Aloys?” 

“What about her friend?” asked the second ‘Haft, “Does she have an invitation?”

Mona raised an eyebrow, “It’s a joint invitation. I’m sure you’ll honour it. If not, I could always bring it up with your boss some other time…”

“Joint invitation it is!” cried the first, quickly, “Welcome to the Flying Machine! Please, step this way!”

 

After a surprisingly short gondola ride, Mona and Missy were taken to the bow of the Flying Machine and helped aboard. The inside was as lavish as Mona remembered. It still had the plush red carpets, creamy walls decorated with paintings and mouldings, and a rude amount of mahogany furniture all sparkling under the light from the huge windows. The Hover Hafts lead the two women through the ship, up a few spiral staircases, and then to a handsome suite just below decks. This, of course, was the captain’s quarters.

“Capitaine! Vous avez des visiteurs! Les deux femmes vertes!”

There was a muffled reply from within. After a bit of bumping from inside, the door opened to reveal Propeller Knight. It appeared he had been preparing himself for the day, as he lacked his usual foreign green jacket.

“Bonjour, mademoiselles, to what–” the Knight cut off suddenly as he got a good look at the visitors, “Ah, but it is you! La belle femme de M. Plague Knight! And a friend…”

He glanced down at Missy, who stared back at him curiously. Mona rolled her eyes. 

“To what do I owe the pleasure?” continued Propeller Knight, looking back up at Mona, “I am rather busy today, you see, so let us keep this brief!”

“Bien sûr,” Mona muttered, before speaking up, “I’ll cut right to the chase. Propeller Knight, I need your Essence. And before you ask, no, I don’t need to beat it out of you. Like last time…”

Propeller Knight cocked his head. 

“My Essence? Ho ho! You know, there are easier way to improve the quality of your love life…”

Mona held back a grimace and shook her head, “I’m sure there are. But I need it for alchemical purposes. Would you consider parting with some of it?”

“Ah, even for a lovely lady like you, I am disinclined,” replied the airship captain, shaking his head, “People don’t like having piece of their soul removed, you know?”

Mona pursed her lips. She wanted to lecture him on the differences between Essence and Soul, but she hardly had the time. She also doubted he would care, anyway.

“Understandable,” she sighed, “But perhaps I can make it worth your while?”

“Oh?” Propeller Knight leaned forwards, a flirtatious note entering his voice, “I’m listening…”

Mona couldn’t repress a scowl this time. 

“I’m an alchemist,” she said, sharply, straightening her posture, “I can perform scientific miracles. If there is anything you require in that capacity on this ship, I can provide.”

“Hmm, my men take care of the ship,” said Propeller Knight, withdrawing into his room a little, “I am not in need of a scientifique, madame.” 

“Well, I’m flexible. What do you need?”

Propeller Knight chuckled suggestively and Mona inwardly cursed at continually setting him up. A moment later, however, the Knight had suddenly slapped his fist into his palm and let out a little ‘oh!’. He leapt forwards quickly, and took Mona’s hands in his. Mona flinched back, yanking away.

“Mais, ma belle! I know exactly what to ask of you! Ah! You are the answer to my prayer!”

“Not the answer you’ll want if you keep grabbing me,” Mona growled, tucking her hands under her arms.

Propeller Knight ignored her, “You see, today is the day of my lovely party!”

“Yes, your men told us so.”

“And just yesterday I had received word of an unexpected guest! The most alluring and rare Lady Volair!”

He chuckled a bit at the rhyme, then continued, “She is the jewel of The Land, and terribly difficult to pin down! A true free spirit, ho ho! She fly wherever she likes, invited or not, alighting for mere moments to enjoy only the most exquisite pleasure… She appear without warning, and is gone just as fast, but one would be a fool to turn her away. And she has a very particular taste in men…”

Mona narrowed her eyes, “I’m not making you a love potion. I’m not that kind of alchemist.”

“Love potion? My dear! How gauche! Such sordid thing hardly befit a gentleman of my standard!” cried Propeller Knight, sounding rather offended, “I prefer to perform my seduction on my own, bountiful merit, thank you very much! However… this lady require a rather specific aphrodisiac to ensnare…” 

A foreboding settled in on Mona. Something told her she wasn’t going to like what came next.

“You see, Lady Volair love nothing more than to flaunt her appeal! She know she is the most desired lady in The Land and she like to make it impossible to ignore! So… at every gathering she attend, she steals away a man from his beloved! Oh, she causes such a scene, ho ho!”

Mona clenched her teeth. This was exactly the upper-class nonsense she’d run away to escape from. The lords and ladies of the court always maintained an air of aloof superiority, looking down on the lower classes for being dirty and unseemly. But such hypocrites they were; they’d denounce cheating and home-wreckery in one breath, and fairly live on it in the next. Such tawdry shenanigans were the lifeblood of the elite. Mona had no idea what the appeal was, and she hated to be a part of it.

“But hélas! I am the host of this jubilant occasion, and had planned to sample the attendants to my heart’s content… Only yesterday did the fickle mademoiselle Volair inform us of her attendance! No time at all for me to choose a partner to be parted from, just as she make her only visit to The Valley! But, here you are, as if the heaven themselve have delivered you to me! With your beauty and wit, you will surely make a delectable target for the Lady!”

Mona stared.

“I’m sorry. What?”

“I will explain more slowly,” said Propeller Knight, gesturing, “I want you to play the part of my dear devoted girlfriend to lure in the capricious Lady Volair, and in return I will give to you my Essence! Do we have a deal..?”

Mona hesitated, gritting her teeth. She really, really, really did not want to go through with this. It was the complete antithesis to her character. But… The Essence…

“…Fine. But I want my protégé to be allowed in as well,” said Mona, scowling at the Knight, who laughed and waved his hand. 

“Oh, by all means! It is always a pleasure to have another pretty face! Now, away to the suites! My men will have you looking enrapturing in no time!”

“Wait, what?!” cried Mona, panically, “I-I didn’t agree to a makeover– Propeller Knight!!”

But the Hover Hafts were already chivying her away, and Propeller Knight had disappeared back into his quarters anyway. 

 

“Oh Moany, I could have done it instead!” 

Mona and Missy were both standing in a bright, open room below decks on the Flying Machine, stripped down to their shifts. Attending to them were three of Propeller Knight’s men, who were taking measurements and perusing the large, intricate armoires that lined one wall for suitable garments. Mona would have been out of her mind with discomfort, had the quasi-tailors not been so professional and respectful. Even so, she was not at all enjoying herself. Missy, at least, seemed a little less anxious.

“It’s fine, Missy,” Mona sighed, as her attendant lightly slipped a measuring tape around her waist, “I just need you on standby for tactical advice…”

Privately, Mona simply felt rather protective of Missy, and didn’t want Propeller Knight to get too handsy with her. Besides, this was her mission; Missy shouldn’t have to do her dirty work. Mona did, however, want to keep her nearby; she needed at least a little moral support. She was not at all looking forward to attending another courtly party. The only thing she’d liked about the balls of her youth was the dancing… And the thought of dancing with Propeller Knight was repugnant. 

“I have never dealt with such complexions!” cried one of the tailors, suddenly, “Dark or light, rosy or ashen– but never green!”

“I look good in black,” said Mona, flatly. She just wanted to get this over with.

“Me too!” Missy piped up, helpfully.

There was a disapproving clucking from the armoires, where the complainer pointed out the interiors. There was nothing but bright colours. 

“Here,” said the one measuring Mona, “I think a nice blue will do for the tall one. Warm and light! And a yellow for her companion.”

The man by the armoires went back to his search, grumbling under his breath.

“We hardly have any in her size..!”

This turned out to be rather a problem, in fact. While they were able to find a daffodil-coloured gown for Missy to wear, Mona was too large for any of the dresses in stock. In a moment of panic, one of the tailors rushed off with the closest fit to do some emergency last-minute alterations. Meanwhile, the two women were fitted into corsets, frilly, knee-length trousers, and strange skirt-like frameworks of cane and bone, which extended quite far on either side of them. According to the tailors, these were called ‘panniers’. 

“Really,” Mona muttered, as she was hooked up to hers, “My hips are wide enough as it is…” 

She had no idea how she would manage to navigate in such an unwieldy outfit. This foreign fashion was incomprehensible. Even the widest farthingales weren’t anything like this. The corset, as well, was very tight, and showed off far too much cleavage for her liking. Her immediate instinct was to question how protective this garment was. But of course, it wasn’t like she would be mixing chemicals in it…

Mona was able, at least, to get a good look at what she’d resemble as Missy was helped into her dress first. It was an absolute explosion of frills, lace and silk. The sleeves were mid-length and fluffy, tied off with bows, and the layered skirts had flowers and filigree embroidered everywhere. Mona could understand the purpose of the panniers, now; it served as a sort of canvas to show off the artist’s work. The bodice was low, with yet more frills trimming it, and Missy’s brooch was pinned there, stylishly off to one side. Missy swayed back and forth experimentally, letting her skirts rock long with her.

“Wow… W-what do you think, Moany?” she asked, looking gingerly down at herself as if unsure of what to think.

Considering what Mona knew of her past, the poor thing had probably never had to suffer the trials and tribulations of high fashion. 

“You look exactly as you’re supposed to,” said Mona, awkwardly. It was the best she could do.

Several hours later, Mona had finally been squeezed into her own fluttery periwinkle ensemble. The other tailors were fussing about makeup -which would not suit either of their complexions properly- and lamenting that they’d just have to do their best. By the time Mona and Missy were fully dolled up, the party itself was almost about to begin.  
Propeller Knight came striding in, then, he himself dressed in an even more ostentatious version of his usual forest-green attire. 

“Ah! Ladies! You look ravishing,” he cried gayly, before turning to his staff, “An excellent job, men! Magnifique!”

The three tailors bowed low and exited the room, and Propeller Knight approached Mona.

“Well, ma chérie? You are ready, I am ready… we are just fashionably late! Shall we..?”

Mona held out her arm a little more jerkily than intended, and scowled at her ‘date’.

“Just get on with it,” she grumbled.

“Oh, come now! Do not be so lugubrious! My party are the most grand in the entire Valley! Besides… You must act the part if you want our little plan to succeed!”

“Your little plan, you mean,” Mona sighed, but she conceded that she would have to perk up eventually, “You don’t happen to have a fan, do you?”

“Ah, a nice touch! I shall send for one.”

Once Mona had her fan, she flipped it open and covered her face with it. This would help cover up her gloomy expression. Mona was terrible at faking smiles. No matter how hard she tried, it never seemed to work; people always looked frightened or put off when she flashed her pearly-whites. 

‘Well, here we go,’ she thought to herself, ruefully, ‘Loathe though you are to admit it, you know what to do…’

She glanced down at Missy, who was standing nearby, still wobbling about in her skirts. She looked back up and smiled reassuringly. Mona blushed slightly and turned away. She felt a little childish, but she really wasn’t looking forward to this. It reminded her too much of her upbringing. And social situations… they were never exactly her thing. But there was no time to worry as Propeller Knight took her arm and whisked her away, leading her up onto the decks. 

This deck was different from the one on which she’d shared that dinner oh-so long ago with Plague Knight. Less intimate, and much larger, though it retained quite as many whirring propellers, including the support for the largest of them all. A huge, complicated weather-bubble was surrounding the area, shielding the party from the noise, but allowing just enough of a cool breeze through for the atmosphere to be suitably windswept. The decks were decorated with flowers, garlands, handsomely arranged tables laden with food and drink, and even ice sculptures. A dance floor was open in the middle, sporting a few rotating couples, and sprinkled with petals from a pair of hovering Wind Mages. Beyond that were trained animals performing tricks; Dive Drakes making acrobatic tumbles above the heads of the oohing crowd, and a fully grown Griffoth swishing its tail placidly as it grazed on a bag full of feed.   
The most eye-catching thing about the entire function, however, were the guests. Scores of finely dressed people in every colour imaginable, sporting what Mona assumed to be the latest fashions. Many of them were wearing dresses similar to hers, though these were even more lavish, with fabric blossoms, bows, and strings of pearls heaped on, accompanied by huge, ostentatious hats. Others were sporting long jackets with trailing tails, handsome britches and silk stockings, with fluffy white jabots at their necks. At least a few guests were dressed in the more traditional clothing of The Valley and its surrounding areas, with narrower, elegant gowns and voluminous capes and tunics. More than a few conical hennin poked out of the crowd, and still others wore more foreign garments. A few were spotted in gauzy, light looking suits and head-wraps. Others were dressed in cylindrical, brightly coloured robes cinched with intricately folded sashes. The kind her mother used to wear, long ago… 

At Propeller Knight’s approach, the crowd turned and clapped, welcoming him excitedly. They immediately swarmed, and Mona had to grab onto Missy to avoid letting the crowd trample her. Questions bombarded them from every angle, ranging from inquiries about their attire to the sordid details of Propeller Knight’s time in the Order of No Quarter.  
Several guests asked after Mona’s identity, though many had a knowing look in their eyes, as if to say ‘where did you scoop up this particular arm-candy?’  
Propeller Knight introduced her as Dame Morfondre, and warned that she was rather shy, though not without her hidden charms. Mona batted her eyelashes over her fan, fluttering it slightly. She could already hear the faint mutters about her powdered, but unfortunately conspicuous green skin. 

Luckily, Propeller Knight was the star attraction, and when he moved away to preside over a more tightly knit group of favourites, Mona was able to focus a little more on the task at hand. Despite wishing that she could simply stand there and look pretty, Mona had a feeling that completing Propeller Knight’s little quest was going to be more difficult than it seemed. Yet she wasn’t quite sure what she might have to do… she prayed it wouldn’t involve anything more intimate than a hug. Things would be much easier to plan out if she had a good measure of the woman she was supposed to be attracting… but so far, they had not encountered her.

Just as Mona was about to sneak away under some trivial pretext to talk to Missy, she was accosted by a trio of smartly dressed ladies. These ones wore powdered wigs and similarly resplendent dresses of crimson, azure and sea green. 

“Dame Morfondre! May we have a moment of your time?” said azure in a tone of voice that wouldn’t take no for an answer.

“We’re ever so curious as to how you met our honoured host!” cooed crimson, fluttering her own fan so fast it was a lacy blur.

“It must be a hell of a story. They always are, with the captain,” said sea-green, smirking. 

Mona could tell from the women’s demeanours that she would not escape unscathed. She wanted to timidly refuse and scamper away before they got ahold of her, but that would simply draw out the ordeal. Might as well give them what they wanted, and get it over with. Besides, it would give her a chance to pick up her rusty noble manners.  
She glanced back, momentarily, to see where Missy was; the girl was standing near a table of h’ordeuvres, being chatted up by a young Weasel. She seemed to be handling the situation well, so Mona turned back to the group and simpered behind her fan.

“Oh, you wouldn’t want to hear that…” she said, coyly, as she tried to come up with a suitable tale.

“But we would!” cried crimson.

“Unequivocally!”

“To be sure…”

Mona paused under the pretext of blushing and fidgeting, thinking over the situation. Well. So long as she was being forced into this predicament, she might as well have a little fun, right?

“Well..! If you must know… But promise you won’t tell anyone else.”

The women immediately made a show of promising to keep her secret on pain of death, all the while crossing their fingers behind their backs. Mona resisted an eye-roll, then began her story.

“I met dear sir Propeller Knight just after the Order disbanded.”

“Ooh! The Order of No Quarter!” squeaked crimson.

“Hush,” said azure, shooting her companion a look.

“I came upon him after he’d been gravely injured,” continued Mona, “I’m a doctor by profession, you see. He was in a very bad way, but I managed to nurse him back from the brink…”

“Oh my!” cried azure, cupping her cheek ever-so-lightly as to not smear any of her makeup.

“How romantic!!” shrilled crimson, fan awhirl.

“Then this must have been after his fateful encounter with the Heroes of The Valley?” asked sea-green, in a manner that suggested less of a question, and more of a simple statement of facts. 

“Oh, no,” Mona corrected her, hiding her smirk behind her fan, “This was a little after that. I found him in a river, you see; he’d fallen off a nearby bridge, blind-stinking-drunk! He was drenched, covered in mud and sick, and he was missing… ah, shall we say, a rather important article of clothing.”

The women’s eager expressions changed to looks of shock. Crimson stopped fluttering her fan. Mona continued, trying to keep the amusement out of her voice. 

“I found out later that he had been in a drunken bar brawl in the nearby village. Soundly beaten by the resident baker… The bruising was impressive! That Mouse must have been a terror with their rolling pin…” 

Mona did not pause to allow an awkward silence, or any interruptions. She merely ploughed onwards, embellishing. 

“After I managed to get him to my clinic, I cleaned and… dressed him as best I could. He was very polite about the whole thing, once he got over his hangover. But he ended up staying for three more weeks!”

“To repay you for your kindness?” asked crimson, hopefully.

“Oh, no,” Mona laughed and shook her head, “I am sure he was very grateful! But he remained to acquire my medical expertise on a few recent difficulties he was having in certain areas of life, mainly the bedroom… Ah, but I really can’t say any more on that; it would violate doctor-patient confidentiality…” 

Mona paused to allow her words to sink in a little, before resuming, “And besides that, he tripped down the stairs just as he was leaving! I had to lug him back to the infirmary and treat him for a concussion all over again!”

There was a long silence. Mona fanned herself and sighed.

“He invited me to this party as a way of thanking me. He really is a nice fellow at heart, if a little clumsy… Ah, but you’ll all keep your word about not telling, won’t you? I must admit, it is a rather embarrassing story…”

The women quickly let out a babble of assurances, waving and clasping their hands at their breasts. Mona was just about to excuse herself and allow her little story to fester, when there was a loud cry from a nearby crowd.   
Turning to the sound of the disturbance, Mona saw the result of a small altercation between two guests. One woman was pawing at the neck of her gown, which was stained and dripping. The other was standing back, looking aghast and holding an empty crystal glass.

“My my! I do not think I provided such insult to warrant this!” cried the first lady. Her dress was somehow wetter than what seemed possible with the amount of liquid the glass could hold, and due to the make, the sopping fabric now clung rather suggestively to her chest. 

The woman who’d thrown the drink in the first place spluttered indignantly, but her date quickly stepped forwards and gallantly offered his handkerchief to the victim. The couple then promptly descended into a heated argument, as a few other guests converged to inquire after the wellbeing of the assaulted lady.   
Mona could hear faint snatches of their conversation over the shrieks of the fight and the babble of the party.

“…such a shame! And after all the other mishaps…”

“…are alright? First your dress torn, your earrings stolen, now this…”

The woman demurely played the incidents off, assuring that she was alright while bearing the type of body language that clearly suggested she was not. Mona had a funny feeling that she wasn’t actually the wronged party in this situation…

“Aha! There she is!”

Mona flinched as she heard a genial voice in her ear. Turning to see who it was, Mona saw Propeller Knight at her side, peering intently over at the woman. Mona glanced back.

“What? You mean Lady Volair?”

“Mais oui! And it seem she has gotten into trouble, as always, hoho..! That naughty girl…”

Mona glanced back at the woman. She was definitely pretty. She had an enviable figure, plump, rosy lips and a head of thick, shiny black hair. Her eyes were large, and dark, and they were lit with a glint that could only be described as dangerous. Mona also noted that her comely red dress had been ripped just-so that one of her shapely legs was visible peeking out through the fabric. She was clearly practiced at her game, and much bolder than Mona had envisioned. This was not a Lady of the Court engaging in mischievous dalliances… this was something else entirely. 

“I must go offer my apologies,” said Propeller Knight, quickly slipping his arm into Mona’s and pulling her along, “Allons-y!”

Mona hastened forward beside the Knight, preparing herself. She had to make a good impression. If she wanted to attract Lady Volair’s attention, she would have to really sell her ‘relationship’ with Propeller Knight. 

“Lady Volair, ma chère invitée! I am appalled to see the evening treating you so poorly! I would have greeted you earlier, had I not been so… urgently needed elsewhere.”

“Why, captain Propeller Knight, our most illustrious host!” Lady Volair curtsied, “Think nothing of it. Bad luck seems to follow me everywhere… I shall endeavour to enjoy the party nonetheless…” 

She flicked her eyes momentarily to Mona, taking in her periwinkle skirts and sickly greenish pallor. Mona made a point of leaning closer to Propeller Knight and squeezing his arm. He noticed, and quickly turned to introduce her.

“Ah, neither of us need introduction, of course,” he said, “But I am delighted to introduce you to my darling fiancée!”

Mona flinched, and reflexively shot Propeller Knight a furious look. She quickly tried to hide her anger, however, fanning herself and curtsying back.

“De–– Dame Morfondre. Charmed to make your acquaintance.”

“Likewise,” replied Lady Volair. 

Mona quickly squeezed Propeller Knight’s arm a little tighter, intending to set the plan in motion.

“Isn’t this a wonderful party?” she asked, “My dear Propeller Knight hosts the most marvellous soirées. I simply adore him!”

Mona did her best to simper at the Knight, who chuckled and patted her arm.

“I could go on forever about how gallant and accomplished he is,” she continued, “Oh but, I’m sure that would bore you…”

Lady Volair smiled, “Oh, no, I understand completely. I know just how it is to adore a man of many talents…” 

Mona caught her shooting a suggestive glance at her ‘date’, and celebrated internally. It was working!

“Oh, I’m so glad!” Mona cooed, “He IS a darling, isn’t he? I don’t think there’s anyone he can’t charm! Isn’t that right, Proppy?”

Mona swallowing back the taste of bile as she spoke, but continued to beam and cling to Propeller Knight’s arm. However, as the conversation wore on and Mona’s complements became more lavish, Lady Volair seemed to lose interest. Eventually, she politely excused herself and sauntered off into the crowd. Mona watched her go, scowling.

“…Is she going off to strategize, or have I failed to pique her interest?” Mona asked Propeller Knight. He would know how to read her better.

“Ah, Mona?” the Knight’s voice was strained. “Could you let go, first? You are hurting me.”

Mona realized that she was squeezing his arm so tightly that her fingers were pressing against bone. Letting go, Propeller Knight winced and rubbed his bruised flesh.

“Sorry.”

“It is fine. However, it seems that you have indeed lost her attention.”

Mona’s scowl deepened.

“Then we’ll just have to keep trying. Shall we do a lap of the party just to make it less obvious?”

And so lap they did. For the rest of the afternoon, Mona and Propeller Knight endeavoured to bump into Lady Volair -or at least enter her field of view- as much as possible. Alas, she seemed more intent on chasing other partnered party-goers. She caused quite the scene, too. Everywhere she went, fights broke out, dresses tore, hair was pulled and drinks were spilled. Mona couldn’t help but think Plague Knight would be envious of this woman’s chaotic competence. 

As the sun began to dip in the sky and the clouds traded out their fluffy whiteness for orange and pink whorls, Mona found herself becoming increasingly agitated. She was on the dance floor, revolving slowly in Propeller Knight’s arms and hating every minute of it. And still, she hadn’t caught the eye of the fickle Lady Volair. She’d managed to accrue the envy of countless other, single guests, but not the one she sought! And she was nearly out of time..!

“I don’t understand,” she hissed, “I’ve been the perfect date. Haven’t I? I’ve smiled, batted my eyelashes, laughed at all your stupid jokes, complimented you up and down and bored everyone to tears with our ‘engagement’ plans… And she still won’t give you the time of day!”

Propeller Knight sighed as he twirled her around, “Ah… it is a pity neither of us will get what we want…”

“The party isn’t over yet,” Mona grumbled, “Hold onto your heli-helmet…”

She shut her eyes and let Propeller Knight lead her around, focusing on the day’s events. What was she missing? What made the other guests’ relationships so tantalizing to Volair? Just as she was analyzing a few mental conversations, she heard a yelp nearby. Opening her eyes, she spied the lady herself a few feet away. She’d fallen to the ground, clutching her ankle.

“Lady Volair!” cried the nearest dancers, quickly rushing to her side.

“Oh, it’s only a twist,” Mona heard her assure them, weakly, “I-I shall be better soon… Could someone help me stand?”

Hands reached out from all sides and helped her to a nearby chair. Suddenly, Mona realized her mistake just as Propeller Knight lowered her into a dip.  
This whole time, Mona had been focusing on her and Propeller Knight’s pretend relationship. Trying to show them as an unbreakable couple that would surely be delectable to smash in half. But that wasn’t what Volair wanted. She could hardly care less about two peoples’ connection. The pattern was clear; every time she made a veiled -or not so veiled- pass at Propeller Knight, Mona had completely ignored it. And then Volair had excused herself.  
She wasn’t looking for the perfect couple. She was looking for the greatest reaction. The catalyst that would propel her into the centre of attention! To attract Volair… Mona needed to steal the spotlight for herself. 

“I’ve got it,” said Mona, as she swung upright again, “I… Just need to go get some refreshments.”

Before Propeller Knight could question her, she hurried off to find Missy. She discovered her thoughtfully eating a long, chocolate filled pastry and staring out at the sunset. 

“Missy. I’ve got it,” she said, as she approached. 

Missy turned to her with a start.

“Moany! There you are! How’s it going?”

“Badly. But that’s going to change.” 

Mona took a moment or two to hash out her thoughts, then leaned in to explain her plan to Missy. Missy’s eyes widened slightly as she finished.

“Oh! I-I hope it works! But you’ll be careful, right, Moany?”

“Of course. You know I have a failsafe. I’ll see you… soon.”

Turning back to the party, Mona hastened to Propeller Knight and took his arm again.

“Bring me to the railing over there by those chairs,” she murmured, and soon the two were strolling leisurely over to the indicated spot.

“What do you have in mind?” Propeller Knight muttered back.

“You’ll see.”

Finally in position, Mona glanced out at the darkening sky and poked an arm out of the protective barrier to feel the wind. It was fairly brisk, as expected of their altitude. Right…

“I can’t believe you,” said Mona, suddenly, turning to Propeller Knight, “All night, it’s been the same!”

Propeller Knight flinched, “Mona? What–“

“You haven’t paid me a second of attention all evening!” she continued, “Not at all!”

Mona stomped her foot, and Propeller Knight waved his hands placatingly, “My dear! That is simply not true! I’ve been at your side every moment!”

“But you hardly talk to me! Or even look at me! It’s like I’m just a pretty piece of jewelry to wear on your arm!”

At this point, Mona’s voice had carried far enough to attract stares. Good. Mona was flushing deep blue with embarrassment at her ridiculous actions, but luckily she knew it would only add to her façade of childish anger. 

“Even while we were dancing, I know you were looking over my shoulder!! –Metaphorically!”

By this point Propeller Knight was reaching out to her, trying to take her arms. She wasn’t sure whether he believed her little act, or whether he was playing along. Either way, he was doing exactly as she wanted. 

“Now now, ma chérie, please calm down! Let’s not make a scene. Why don’t we just––“

“No! I won’t be hidden away like some shameful secret!” shrieked Mona, backing towards a chair and nudging it until it was against the railing of the ship, “You’re breaking my heart, Propeller Knight!”

She stepped up onto the chair, raising her voice to a howl. As she glanced back at the party, she saw the eyes of nearly every guest upon her. Yes. Excellent.

“You’re such an utter cad!! Never has a woman been so ill-used! I am your fiancée!! How could you? How could––“

She had to make it look natural. As she swung her fists and stomped her feet, she braced herself, and stepped ever-so-slightly wrong. As one, the partygoers let out a collective cry of horror as Mona pitched backwards, over the side of the ship with a terrified shriek.

The air hit her first in a cold blast, followed by her pannier, which billowed violently around her legs, creaking ominously. Momentarily, Mona was paralyzed with fear. Though she knew she was dead already, she still retained the reflexive terror of falling to a painful demise. It took her a few moments to regain her faculties and concentrate on her plan. Looking up, she could already see Propeller Knight and his men descending after her. However, she knew their propeller-based flight mechanisms would not be able to match the speed at which she was falling. Carrying her back up would also be highly difficult due to her size and weight. But she’d planned for that.  
Shutting her eyes, Mona did her best to shut out the whistling of wind and the thud of her quickly deteriorating pannier beating against her legs. She focused instead on the faint sound of thupping from above. She pictured the blades, slicing deftly through the air, providing the lift and the thrust to defy the cruel bonds of gravity. She pictured the Aerial Anvil, a marvel of technology, using its great, gas-filled balloon to hold thousands of pounds aloft. And she pictured her own bombs; her Orbit Casings, specifically. Circling, hovering round and round until their fuse ran out. 

‘I Know how to fly. I Know exactly how to fly. I’ve Known for ages, and it’s ridiculous that I haven’t flown yet..!”

Gritting her teeth, Mona submerged herself in her understanding of flight, letting the knowledge consume her. And as she did so, she began to notice the howling wind die down. Soon the air-current was no longer pushing up against her, but flowing around her. Opening her eyes, Mona found herself suspended on her back, staring up at the hull of the flying machine, and the figures of Propeller Knight and his men still soaring after her.   
Hesitantly, Mona waved her arms. This didn’t seem to destabilize her. Craning her neck around, she glanced down at the earth below. This turned out to be a mistake, as it caused her to start dropping again.

“No no no!” Mona yelped, “I can fly! I can fly– I Know how to fly!”

Her descent slowed again and she shuddered.

“Really now,” she chided herself aloud, “You’ve catapulted a hundred times. This shouldn’t frighten you…”

She supposed she understood how Missy felt about elevators, now. Wobbling again, Mona tried to buffet herself into an upright position, waving her arms and kicking her legs. She really was flying now, not floating; she was suspended in midair, stationary with not even a cloud beneath her feet. Propeller Knight and his men were growing closer now. Mona endeavoured to rise to meet them. It would be so much easier without her stupid pannier billowing about! With a contemptuous wave of her hand, she banished it, revealing her less cumbersome silky drawers. With that out of the way, she managed laboriously, shooting up like a geyser and wafting like smoke from a doused candle by turns. Eventually, the captain and his men surrounded her. 

“Mes dieux! What in the nine hell were you thinking?!” Propeller Knight screamed over the din of his contraption and the surrounding wind.

“Never mind that,” Mona shouted back, wobbling over to him and trying to rotate herself into a horizontal position again, “Just pick me up and take me back to the ship!”

The Hoverhafts move in, but Mona waved her hands, “No, no, just him! It needs to be Propeller Knight himself!”

The men glanced at each other, before their captain reached out and carefully tucked an arm securely around Mona’s upper back, and–

“You want to keep your fingers, right?!”

–under the backs of her knees. Lifting her bridal style, Propeller Knight rose back up into the air, followed by his escort, and Mona concentrated on staying aloft. When they finally landed on deck, they were met by storms of cheers and applause. 

“She’s alive!”

“He did it! He saved her!”

“Oh, how dashing!”

Mona took a quick moment to scan the crowd, just managing to spot Lady Volair at one end. While subtly irked, she did genuinely seem as relieved as the rest of the guests. Hm… curious. With that out of the way, Mona let her head loll back in a swoon, and endeavoured to look as pitiable as possible. A moment later, she heard Missy’s voice.

“Moany! Oh Moany!!”

Mona opened her eyes a sliver before flinching a little as the young woman embraced her.

“Oh, my poor poor madame! Sir Propeller Knight, you have to get her inside!” Missy cried, looking up at him, “She’s been through a terrible shock! She needs to be looked after!”

“You are right,” replied Propeller Knight, before shouting to the gathering crowd, “Make way! Make way! Everyone stand back!”

His ‘hafts formed a guard around them, and Mona was carried below decks and into a suite, where Propeller Knight laid her onto an elegant -and slightly too small- chaise-lounge. At this point, Mona finally stopped supporting herself, and sagged into the cushions.

Propeller Knight stared down at her, adjusting his jacket a little and stroking the lip of his helmet. 

“I think I see now…” he murmured, “There is a method to your madness, ho ho…”

Mona nodded, smirking faintly, “Just stick around a while longer to ‘tend to me’, then head back to the party. Volair ought to pop up soon enough when you do…” 

“Hoho! I think this just might work!”

“Of course. I planned it,” said Mona, her smirk growing, “Just make sure you come back here to give me your Essence once you know she’s secured…”

 

Unfortunately, Propeller Knight didn’t seem to have listened to that last part. Mona and Missy waited anxiously in the suite, wondering when the captain would return.

“Do you think the plan failed?” asked Missy anxiously, as moonlight shone through the large window, draping a pale square over the room. 

“No… It has to have worked… I caused a huge scandal,” said Mona, frowning, “Volair won’t have taken kindly to her spotlight being stolen. Besides, seducing Propeller Knight after the incident? That’s as outrageous as it gets..! He ought to be back any minute now…”

But the hours ticked past in anxious silence, and not a soul entered the suite. The two women eventually changed out of their ungainly dresses, returning to their own clothes to spend the time more comfortably. Finally, Mona got up from the chaise-lounge and let Missy take her place to sleep. She stood instead by the window, gazing out at the moonlit landscape.

‘If only things were different,’ she thought, wistfully, ‘I’d love to build one of these…’

 

By the time morning came, Mona’s tranquil attitude had rotted into a temper. She threw open the door to the suite and stalked down the halls, heading for the captain’s quarters. A few ‘hafts attempted to stop her, but she simply phased around them. When she arrived outside his door, Mona rapped on it, harshly.

“Propeller Knight?!” she called in a firm voice, “Are you in there?”

There was a faint muffled sound from behind the door. After a little while, it finally swung open, and Mona recoiled. Propeller Knight was in a rather embarrassing state of undress. Mona quickly looked away, covering her face with her hand.

“Seriously?!”

“Ah, bon matin, chérie! How are you feeling now?”

Propeller Knight advanced on her, shuffling her away from his room. Mona peeked through her fingers and caught a glimpse of a figure laying inside.

“Who’s that?” she quickly interjected, “Propeller Knight? I saw someone in your room!!”

She began backing down the hall herself, towards the suite, putting in one last effort to finish off the farce. She continued to argue until she thought she was out of earshot, then folded her arms and slunk towards her room.

“Where in the hells were you?” she snapped, “We were waiting up all night!”

“Ah, I suppose I let myself get a little… carried away,” said Propeller Knight breezily, adjusting his just-long-enough nightshirt, “Mes excuses! But here I am now, all ready to give to you my Essence!”

Mona rolled her eyes and pushed open the door. Missy rolled over on the chaise-lounge inside.

“Moany..? Did– oh!”

Missy quickly hid her eyes as well, and Mona shot a scowl at Propeller Knight.

“Ah! Désolé– I did not know you were here, mademoiselle!”

Mona snapped her fingers, promptly conjuring Missy’s daffodil dress onto Propeller Knight, who flinched in surprise. 

“Now, stay still.” Mona grumbled.

After the usual application of alchemy, Mona had Propeller Knight’s deep green Essence whirling in her Portable Decanter. Wasting no more time, she bid him a curt goodbye, took ahold of Missy and teleported back to the Potionarium.

“Thank the gods that’s over,” Mona groaned, as they reappeared in the lab, “That was somehow worse than all the other ones combined..!”

“I’ll go make some tea,” said Missy, comfortingly, “You should go chat with Plaguey until I get back!”

Mona cocked her head as Missy dashed off, then glanced up and started in shock. Plague Knight was, in fact, sitting at her desk. She hadn’t expected him at all. He’d been hidden in his lab all last week, after all, only coming out once to…  
The bottom dropped out of her stomach. Eight o’clock. The date… The date!

“Well…” Plague Knight’s voice was icy, “Welcome back to the Potionarium, Mona.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! We're getting really close to the end, now! Hope you guys enjoy this chapter, as it's the one I tried to make the funniest! Thanks again for reading, and stay tuned for more..! -TS


	18. The Cold

“Plague Knight…”

Mona stood still, watching her partner and trying to gauge how he was feeling. His body language didn’t bode well, with his head low and his stance confrontational, despite being seated. The tone of his voice was also far from comforting.

“Just been out getting more ingredients for your secret project, eh?” he asked, pointedly. He tilted his head with a very unnerving jerk which only enhanced the discomfort of the situation.

Mona pursed her lips, feeling guilty, “Plague Knight… If this is about the date–“

“Oh, heehee, it’s about a little more than that!” replied Plague Knight, the iciness in his voice turning glacial, “But it’s nothing a little ‘secret project’ can’t fix, eh?”

Plague Knight sprang to his feet, and Mona flinched, her eyes widening.

“Plague Knight,” she growled, “Did you look in my book?”

“I didn’t need to,” Plague Knight replied, just as menacingly, “It’s clear as glass what you’re up to. This glass.”

Plague Knight strode over to the Dynamo Decanter and yanked on the tarp covering the main tank. Mona flinched and waved a hand to banish the falling cloth back onto the machine. Plague Knight simply laughed.

“Heehee! You can’t hide it. I’ve seen underneath already!”

“You– You broke your promise,” said Mona, heatedly, even as her anxiety mounted, “You pried into my project!”

“Did I?” shouted Plague Knight, “You never said the Decanter was a part of it! You said that you’d ‘already used’ Spectre Knight’s Essence! Hee! But I know what you’re really doing!”

To Mona’s horror, Plague Knight yanked on the tarp again, and this time it fell properly to the ground. The six Essences floated in their places, spinning docilely, their multicoloured lights muted slightly by the green glass of the tank.

“You’ve been collecting them again,” said Plague Knight, his voice trembling, “Heehee… You regret it, don’t you?”

Mona tensed, withdrawing slightly, “Plague Knight, I–“

“You regret throwing away the Serum Supernus!”

Mona blinked.

“What?!”

“Oh, don’t play dumb!” shrieked Plague Knight, suddenly much louder than before, “Do you really think I haven’t noticed? Do you really think I don’t know the difference between your façade and your true feelings, by now? You’ve been… been drifting away from me!”

Plague Knight contorted, pressing a hand to his forehead and pacing back and forth, “Drawing away when I near you, cutting off our conversations, disappearing every chance you get! Trying to hide that– that you– that you don’t––”

Mona stared, aghast, “Plague Knight! What– You don’t understand–“

“Don’t I?!” he shot back, hysterically. The brightly coloured changes in his attire clashed horribly with his increasingly frantic state, “You realized your mistake– heehee– you realized you should have let me drink the Serum! You realized– You realized I’m not good enough without it!!”

“You’re being irrational,” Mona snapped, heat rolling off her in waves, “I never wanted you to drink the Ultimate Potion! Not– not because of that!”

“Oh? Then why else would you be gathering all these Essences? Hee! Answer me that!”

Mona faltered, “I–I– I’m studying them!”

“Again? You had plenty of time to study them when I gathered them the first time! Don’t lie to me, Mona!”

Mona gritted her teeth, trying to come up with an answer. Plague Knight snorted bitterly.

“You don’t have to lie,” he murmured, “It’s so obvious… You saw my face… my true face… What person could love that?”

Mona scowled, as his words ignited a spark of anger in her, “Oh, please! How dare you think me so shallow?! I couldn’t care less whether you’re a Bird, a Human, or a sentient magic robe!”

“Then do you love me?” Plague Knight fired back, “Do you love me, Mona?”

“I–!” Mona choked on the word. Every part of her wanted to say yes. But… but she couldn’t. She’d promised herself to hold back properly. Promised herself to fade away slowly but surely, so that their parting would be painless. And yet– And yet– This wasn’t how it was supposed to–

Plague Knight let out a quiet chuckle, sagging.

“Heh. I didn’t think so. …I just… don’t understand…” his soft, despairing voice was far more unbearable than his screams. It dug into Mona’s heart like a freezing shard, “Why you’re bothering to keep up this charade..? If you don’t want… t-to be with me… why didn’t you just tell me..?”

By this point, Mona was scorchingly hot and shaking like a leaf. She couldn’t face this. She couldn’t face him. Turning tail, Mona threw herself into a teleport, disappearing in a violent flash of blue flames.  
When she reappeared, she was met by a loud hiss as steam rose all around her. She’d turned up in a snowbank, presumably near the Stranded Ship. The water unfroze all around her, letting her sink to the solid ground below. Slowly, Mona sank down onto her rear end, then buried her face between her knees. She sat there, shuddering, though not from the surrounding cold. She could barely even feel it. 

It was over. It was all over. If it had merely been their time to part ways, she wouldn’t have been so destroyed. But Plague Knight’s words had pierced her to the core. 

‘If you don’t want… t-to be with me… why didn’t you just tell me..?’

She’d thought pulling away slowly would help. She’d thought letting him down easy would make things better… But she’d been deluding herself. All this time, she’d been hurting him… Stringing him along and breaking his heart. And all because… because she just couldn’t let him go.   
And it was that that put the final nail in the coffin. The excuses. The utter selfishness. The unwillingness to let him slip from her grasp– it was so clear now, so obvious. She was already corrupted. Already lost to her true, cruel nature as an Enchantress. And Plague Knight… Plague Knight wasn’t even the first casualty. Percy, the Magicist, even Missy. By remaining in their presence, by lying to them, she’d only prolonged their suffering. But no longer.

Forcing herself to stand, Mona pushed through the snow. She burned a path through the whiteness, making her way towards the huge, broken down ship trapped in the ice. She had seven Essences, now. And the eighth, it was hardly a stone’s throw away. Perhaps she’d teleported here, of all places, because she’d subconsciously realized the truth even before she’d thought it over. She was running out of time. 

As she trudged along, Mona spotted several of the arctic denizens scurrying about. Tundreads, Spinwulves, Rungstriders and the errant Rail Rider. Some didn’t seem to notice her, while others gave her cautious looks. However, none of them approached her as she pressed on. Perhaps they could feel the aura coming off her.   
Her unhindered passage lasted all the way to the edge of the Stranded Ship. Then, suddenly, there was a voice.

“Halt! Who goes there?”

Mona shook herself out of her stupor and looked up. Standing on the frozen, dilapidated prow was a short Knight in pitch black armour.

“Black Knight..?”

“You..! What are you doing here?!”

Black Knight levelled his shovel at her, threateningly. The last time Mona had seen him, he’d urged her to the Tower of Fate to stop Plague Knight taking on the Enchantress. It felt like it had taken place in another lifetime… Perhaps that was why he’d become hostile again.

“I need to see Polar Knight,” said Mona, “Is he here?”

“What are you planning, Enchantress?” Black Knight shot back, menacingly.

Ah. So he knew.

“Just tell me where he is, Black Knight,” Mona sighed, “I’m not going to fight you.”

Black Knight was about to say something else, when there was a sudden flurry of snow from overhead. A second later, the prow of the ship shook and groaned violently as a huge figure landed on it, sending splinters of wood and ice flying. Black Knight spun around in shock.

“Polar Knight!”

The enormous Knight straightened from his crouch -though not by much- and turned his face to Mona. Despite his huge, horned helmet leaving his eyes uncovered, it was built in such away that it cast an impenetrable shadow over his frost-paled face. This, along with his thick white beard, made it difficult to read his features. But Mona highly doubted he was smiling. 

“You.”

His voice was a deep rumble that seemed to originate from the very earth itself. Mona stared back, listlessly.

“Polar Knight. I need your Essence.” 

She wasn’t even going to bother with any formalities. She was too tired to keep up a facade of politeness. Besides, Polar Knight wasn’t the type for civil deals. 

“I knew it,” cried Black Knight, once again rounding on Mona with his shovel drawn, “But if you think you can take anything from us, you are as foolhardy as you are–“

“Hmph.”

Polar Knight cut Black Knight off with a single harrumph. He crossed his tree-trunk-sized arms and stared at Mona. 

“You’ll have to fight for it,” he uttered.

Yes. Of course. There was a reason Mona had saved Polar Knight for last. Straightening up, Mona nodded.

“If that is the only way,” said Mona, her expression stony, “then I accept. I’ll fight you.”

“Not me,” rumbled Polar Knight, before stumping past Mona, towards the icy cliffs. 

Mona turned after him, surprised. 

“What?”

He didn’t answer. Black Knight kept his shovel pointed at her, bucking the blade slightly to indicate that she should follow. Mona didn’t need telling twice. She proceeded after Polar Knight, keeping her head down. She heard Black Knight move behind her, bringing up the rear of their little procession. Like a prisoner being escorted to the gallows.  
They trooped on for some time, moving parallel to the ship. Now situated in the cover of the mountains, the wind that gusted over the outer tundra was no longer present. Instead, as they moved ever onwards, they passed through the mouth of a cavern and into its chilly interior. Spires of ice gave it an ominous, almost fanged appearance.   
At this point, Mona realized there had been a drop in the amount of footsteps. Glancing behind her, Mona confirmed the absence of their third party member. Black Knight had slipped away at some point. But she didn’t wonder where he’d gone to; she didn’t care. All she wanted was to get this over with.

Luckily, Polar Knight finally came to a stop a few moments later, and turned back to look at her. Mona approached, and found that they were at the mouth of a large chamber. It was the size of a small cathedral, with rounded walls and craggy ceilings dripping with yet more icicles. The ground was lumpy and uneven, interspersed with stalagmites and somehow dusted with snow. There was a freezing breeze blowing in from somewhere Mona couldn’t see.   
Mona came to a stop next to Polar Knight and glanced at him, dully. Polar Knight looked back, his face inscrutable as usual. He reached into the folds of his shaggy fur cloak and removed something. Holding it out to Mona in one of his gigantic, battle-scarred hands, she could see that it was… a shovel?

“Face her. Like a woman,” he growled, “None of your fancy tricks.”

Mona took the shovel, then turned slowly to the icy chamber. Sure enough, she was there, at the other end. Shield Knight stood at the ready, glaring daggers at Mona with her weapons up. Mona gripped the shovel in her hands, tightening her fingers around the sturdy wood. This was not going to be an easy fight. Mona would be more annoyed with the situation, if she didn’t feel so numb. Without a word, she moved forwards to meet her fate. She heard Polar Knight lumbering away behind her, and braced herself. Shield Knight, it seemed, had nothing to say to her. She merely charged.

Once again, Mona found herself diving to the side to avoid the monumental force. To fight Shield Knight without her magic, or even any alchemy, would be a nigh-impossible feat. Mona didn’t know how to use a shovel blade, let alone a proper sword, and neither would even be that useful against someone who’s main weapon was designed to fend off such attacks. For now, all she could do was dodge, and wait for an opening.

Shield Knight, on the other hand, had slowed her ram, skidding to a halt on the icy ground and sending snow everywhere. Mona backed up, watching carefully. This time, Shield Knight rushed at her again, throwing her buckler with deadly accuracy. Mona barely managed to avoid it cracking her skull, but the momentary distraction was all Shield Knight needed to plough into her. Mona flew backwards and hit the ground with a thud, sliding across the ice. Struggling up, she just managed to roll over before Shield Knight dove at her, feet first. Mona used the opportunity to attempt a slash at her while she was momentarily exposed. Mona scrambled to her knees and clumsily thrust the blade of the shovel at Shield Knight’s side, but she dodged easily and smacked Mona with the edge of her shield. Mona was barely able to hold onto her shovel, and was quickly realizing that close combat was extremely ill-advised. She had to get away from her foe…  
Leaping to her feet just in time to dodge another strike, Mona made a beeline for a nearby stalagmite. Finding cover was essential. But danger wasn’t far behind. Once again, the whistling sound of Shield Knight’s buckler approached, and Mona reflexively ducked. Good call. The sound ebbed again, and Mona dove behind the stalagmite. 

‘Think, Mona, think!’ she thought to herself, harshly, ‘You can’t defeat her like this. You can barely hold a shovel! There has to be some way to cheat..!’

Some trick, some feint, some scheme that a person like her could employ. She was interrupted in her thoughts a moment later, however, at the sound of the buckler whizzing back again. Glancing up, Mona saw it speeding in a wide arc around the stalagmite to meet her.   
Suddenly, on blind instinct, Mona leapt towards it. Instead of dodging, she reached out and tackled the thing, rolling to the ground, hard. The impact had been painful, and Mona was fairly sure it had broken some of her ribs. But it been worth it. Because now, she had the shield.   
She could hear Shield Knight’s oncoming footsteps, and staggered to her feet. She scooped up her discarded shovel and rushed over to the next stalagmite. Hugging it, she peeked around to watch her enemy. Shield Knight was heading her way, and the expression on her face was not a pretty one.

Ignoring the pain in her torso, Mona left her shelter and ran zig-zag across the cavern, doing her best not to be tripped up by the uneven ground. She heard Shield Knight’s running footsteps cut off, replaced by a whooshing sound, and knew she was charging. Whirling around, Mona waited for just the right moment, then ran past Shield Knight, missing her by about an inch as she sped past. Shield Knight didn’t seem to be able to change directions while charging, and Mona could use that to her advantage. She would keep far away from her enemy, dodging her lunges, while thinking of a plan to win the fight without having to get into any direct combat.   
This wild goose chase continued on for a minute or two, with Shield Knight audibly becoming increasingly frustrated. Just when Mona thought she might be able to tire out the opposing Knight, she heard a new sound; a lower, vibrating whistle that pricked at the hairs on the back of her neck.  
Whipping around, Mona caught Shield Knight’s primary shield revolving through the air, before it slammed into her, knocking her backwards. Though she’d managed to list to the left at the last second, the weapon still glanced off the front of her right shoulder with a sickening crack. She immediately felt the bones pop out of alignment, and her arm went slack, letting go of the buckler she’d been carrying. 

Damnation! What was it about her and getting her arms damaged? Mona quickly dropped to scoop up the precious, stolen buckler, fumbling with her still-working but shovel-full hand. She managed to slide the buckler’s straps over her forearm and then pick the shovel up, but at that point, Shield Knight was nearly upon her. Mona desperately dove out of the way, but her enemy still struck her, smashing into her already injured right arm and causing the ligaments to tear violently.   
Mona thanked her lucky stars that the pain she felt was muted; otherwise she probably wouldn’t have been able to get up again. She just managed to use Shield Knight’s pause to reorient herself to make a mad dash for another nearby stalagmite. There, she gripped her shovel tightly and readied herself. She needed to get the second shield away from her opponent. If Shield Knight could be stripped of her namesake weapons, she wouldn’t have anything to fight with. Even one-armed, Mona might be able to strike her down if she was careful. Perhaps aiming for the face? It was, after all, the only uncovered part of the woman. 

At this point, Shield Knight was ready to attack again. Mona could hear her speeding across the ground to meet her. Bracing herself, Mona waited for just the right moment, then passed Shield Knight once again, sprinting in the opposite direction. She had to get far enough away to coax her adversary into throwing her weapon. If Mona could just halt its momentum, she could ground it, then focus on its defenceless owner.  
She danced around the edges of the cavern, pirouetting here and sliding there, while generally trying to be as infuriating as possible.

“Come on! Is that the best you can do?!” Mona cried as Shield Knight missed another charge and crashed into a stalagmite, demolishing it.

This type of maneuver, however, was not helping, nor being helped by Mona’s injured arm. It flopped around uselessly as she moved, knocking her hips and waist as she turned, which put the internal tissues under further stress. Mona wasn’t too worried about this, as she knew Missy could fix her up later, but she hoped that her lifeless limb wouldn’t hinder her agility. 

Finally, at long last, Mona heard the tell-tale low whistle as she skirted past the entrance to the cave. Whirling around, Mona saw the shield barrelling towards her. With a burst of strength, she leapt up and attempted to throw herself onto the shield. Like with the buckler, it half-worked; she managed to flop onto the weapon at a slant, her upper body sprawling across the flat of the shield. Her left hand let go of her shovel and gripped the edge as tightly as it could to secure her position. However, the object’s full weight still ploughed into her, and the rotating motion of it caused her to flip off almost immediately. But even as she hit the ground, she knew she had succeeded; a moment later, the clang of metal hitting stone rang throughout the chamber.

Glancing up, Mona saw Shield Knight standing across from her, face livid. Mona smirked. She was open! Now to exploit that weakness. Stumbling up, Mona tripped forwards to pick up her shovel. But just as her hand stretched out to grab the hilt, a scarlet sabaton came crashing down on her fingers. Mona grunted and tried to close her fist around the weapon anyway, but the sabaton came up to boot her in the chin. Before Mona could right herself, Shield Knight had snatched up the shovel and kicked her in the chest again, sending her sprawling onto her back.

“You WITCH!” Shield Knight shrieked, raising the shovel high above her head, “You MONSTER!”

There was a horrific crack and spatter as Shield Knight brought the blade down on Mona’s right knee with a vengeance, smashing the kneecap in one go. Mona screamed as muted agony tore through her limb, and desperately tried to push herself up with her left hand. Seeing Shield Knight raise the shovel again, Mona kicked out with her left leg, attempting to fend off the attack. But Shield Knight merely struck her shin, then lurched forwards to throw her whole weight into the weapon, which sank into Mona’s upper thigh with a horrible, wet crunch. Mona twitched and jerked, screaming and reaching with her left hand to do something, anything, stop her!   
Terrified as she was, her instincts caused her magic to manifest. With a crackle of blue light, Shield Knight’s chest plate disappeared, then her pauldrons, then her helmet, which let loose a shocking volume of ginger hair. Mona realized she was trying to banish Shield Knight herself, and that this was not possible. And it was then that Mona remembered that she wasn’t supposed to be using magic at all, and the momentary pause the thought gave her allowed Shield Knight to stomp on her left wrist, hard, pinning it under her heel.

Mona’s blind terror abated, and she found herself looking up at the face of her aggressor, taking in her visage, which was contorted into an expression of wild hatred. The shovel blade was quivering right above Mona’s collar bone, steaming faintly as her burning hot blood heated the blade. It hung there, dripping, right over her… her amulet…  
Mona realized what was coming. She knew what Shield Knight aimed to do. And it was then that all the fight faded out of her. Her terrified grimace sagged into weariness, and she shut her eyes. Maybe this was how it was meant to be. Maybe this was for the best…   
She felt the pressure on her wrist tighten, felt Shield Knight’s stance shift. Then, suddenly, there was a loud clang, and the sabaton withdrew.

What followed was a howl so raw and excruciating that it nearly hurt as much as the blows from the shovel. Mona’s eyes flew open, and she twisted around to see Shield Knight, who had collapsed to her knees nearby.

“I can’t! I can’t, I can’t, I can’t…”

For a moment, Mona looked around wildly for some source of conflict, some unseen enemy who had felled the Scarlet Sentry. But there was no one. And Shield Knight… Shield Knight was sobbing. Her body shook violently with wretched, uneven gasps, and her hands tore at her long hanks of red hair.

“I c-can’t do it, I failed I, f-failed…”

Mona stared at Shield Knight, blankly.

“…What..?” she asked, hoarsely. She didn’t understand it. Shield Knight had been inches from victory, and then she’d just thrown it away… “Why didn’t you..?”

But it seemed Shield Knight was too distraught to answer. Mona wished she could perform Missy’s mood magic to calm her down; she really wanted to know what was going on. It was a little annoying, in fact. Here she was, bleeding and bruised, all ready to have her magical essence spread to the four corners of the earth, and then the damned woman lost her nerve!

Waving her left arm languidly, Mona conjured a handkerchief out of thin air on top of Shield Knight’s head. The Knight let out a yelp as she felt the piece of fabric hit her, scrambling back. She stared, open-mouthed at the crumpled white square, then at Mona.

“W-w-what i-is t-that?” she choked out, her breath still heavy and ragged.

“It’s a handkerchief,” said Mona, flatly, “So you can dry your eyes.”

Shield Knight still seemed to be shocked by the gesture. At least it had surprised her out of the brunt of her tears.

“It’s not cursed,” Mona sighed, “It’s just cloth.”

“Y-you mock me,” shuddered Shield Knight.

“I will if you keep up like this,” Mona grumbled, “Why didn’t you just smash my amulet? Did you just want to incapacitate me and watch me suffer?”

Shield Knight recoiled. Mona knew she was being a little harsh, but until Shield Knight explained herself, she felt the right to be rather angry. 

“L-leave me alone,” muttered the Knight, turning away to hide her face again, “I failed… She has struck me too deep…”

“She?”

Mona suddenly remembered Shovel Knight’s cryptic words from long ago.

‘Alas! It plagues her still! I must find her, and convince her that she is wrong!’

“…Are you talking about The Enchantress?” Mona asked.

There was a small silence before Shield Knight spoke.

“There is no point in hiding it. Her influence has corrupted me… I couldn’t kill you…”

“What does her influence have to do with you killing me?” said Mona, raising an eyebrow.

“Don’t pretend,” growled Shield Knight, “You are her ilk! I would have destroyed you in an instant! …But her power was too great… My body may be able, but my heart… My mind… No. I can no longer carry the title of Knight…” 

Mona squinted uncomprehendingly, “What… what are you on about? She’s dead. Completely and utterly. There’s no trace left of her on earth, and certainly not in you.”

“So what?!” cried Shield Knight, suddenly loud again, “So what if she is dead?! Her poison still remains inside me, leeching into my heart still… I saw it all… She slaughtered people… burned villages… Enslaved The Valley with terror and bloodshed… All with my own two hands. And I was too weak to stop it… I couldn’t… protect them…” 

“Well– Well of course you couldn’t stop it,” said Mona, consternated, “You were possessed. You weren’t in control of any of that.”

“But now, I am in control…” replied Shield Knight, lowly, “And yet… Still, I cannot do what must be done. She… she has changed me… broken me. Robbed me of my fighting spirit. And perhaps more… I must lay down my shield… before it is too late.”

Mona felt her temperature rise. She’d heard of the Scarlet Sentry. Her name was whispered in hushed awe by visitors to The Tavern. Stories of her bravery and valour abounded; she was a paragon in the eyes of all who met her. She was unfailingly courageous, endlessly kind, and willing to fight to the last to defend the lives of the innocent. And now, here she was, a broken mess, just because… 

“But… she’s dead,” said Mona, her fingers slowly curling into a fist, “She’s dead, and she’s never coming back. You’re going to give up everything, everything you love, just because of what she did to you? You can’t do that! You can’t keep letting her win! Don’t you get it? She’s gone! She’s gone, she’s–“

Mona’s voice died in her throat as her words sank in. It was as if a persistent cloud of fog had finally dissipated, allowing her to see clearly for the first time in ages. She couldn’t do this; she couldn’t scream at Shield Knight as if she were a fool. Because Mona understood, now. She knew exactly how Shield Knight was feeling, and she realize that she wasn’t angry at her. She was angry at herself. 

All this time, Mona had been convinced that her fate was to give in to her powers and become a cruel, monstrous tyrant. She’d been so sure in her belief, so certain, because if that wasn’t the case… then why had her parents treated her so horribly? Why had they hated her? She’d wanted an answer to this question so badly that when one presented itself, she’d accepted it without a second thought. She’d let the past consume her, twist her thoughts and blind her ambitions. She was so used to being treated as a villain that the accusation seemed almost natural. Yet, now that her head was clear, she realized that really, there was no evidence to suggest her descent into madness. Missy had been right; she’d never truly shown any symptoms of villainy. All this time, she’d never meant to hurt a soul. Perhaps, quite the opposite…

Mona gritted her teeth, cursing herself. She’d accepted a hypothesis without proper testing, without proper proof! She’d betrayed the very foundation of alchemy! All because she wasn’t as above it all as she liked to seem, all because she hadn’t left the past behind as she pretended, all because, deep down… she was weak. And scared.

And it was this same pain that was destroying Shield Knight, pushing her to her breaking point. But then, there was nothing necessarily wrong with fear and weakness… It was a part of everyone. And to defeat it, sometimes, you just needed a little help.

“…I’m sorry,” said Mona, and Shield Knight blinked at her in surprise, “I… I was wrong.”

Mona swallowed, even though the dryness of her mouth didn’t really matter anymore. She looked away, staring at the glistening, frosty ceiling, and continued.

“But you can’t let her win. No, you… You don’t have to. See, I don’t think you’re as much of a lost cause as you think you are. You not killing me… It wasn’t because you’re weak, or corrupted. I think it’s actually the opposite…”

Mona heard a soft inhalation of surprise, and steeled herself. She wasn’t completely sure if her hypothesis was correct, but in this case, it was just a means to an end. Somehow, she felt she needed to comfort Shield Knight. After all, the woman had just helped her reach an epiphany. And… talking it through to her was also talking it through to herself. Reaffirming the possibility that she wouldn’t have to complete her project after all…

“You’re the Scarlet Sentry,” said Mona, slowly, trying to find the right words, “You’re a hero. You didn’t kill me because, deep down… you knew I wasn’t your enemy. And you’d never harm an innocent. You see? You’re not... it’s… Look, it– it would be easier if I just showed you.”

Mona reached out, then, and concentrated as hard as she could. There was no alchemical circle, no powders or tinctures or special symbols to help her. But, with a great effort, Mona managed to draw out a shining blue sphere from Shield Knight’s chest. The woman let out a cry and scrambled back, but suddenly became entranced as the outer shell broke away, revealing the Essence within.  
Rotating there, softly on Mona’s fingertips, was a beautiful scarlet orb. It wasn’t garish, like King Knight’s, or bloody, like Spectre Knight’s, or fiery and volcanic like Mole Knight’s. It was warm, and enduring, like the light of the sun. It gleamed with strands of bronze, lighting up the freezing dimness around them like a star.

“The Enchantress might have used your body, but she couldn’t destroy who you are. This is your Essence, the greatest summation of all your experiences, your choices and your desires. And, well, I don’t know for sure… But I’d say it’s the Essence of Protection. Still looks pretty pristine to me…”

Shield Knight reached out with trembling fingers, and Mona allowed her to take the whirling crimson sphere. The Knight stared into its depths, breathlessly, before it melted away, back into her body. Shield Knight remained there for a moment, mouth open, before closing her eyes.

“It was… warm,” she murmured, “You… You’re right… I was so blind…”

“You and me, both,” sighed Mona, under her breath.

“Oh gods, I’m so sorry,” gasped Shield Knight, suddenly, shuffling over to Mona, “Y-your body–“

“It’s fine,” Mona tentatively pushed herself up and leaned on her left arm, “I mean, I’d have preferred if you hadn’t broken most of my limbs, but I’ll be okay…”

Shield Knight looked like she wanted to protest, but she was suddenly interrupted by a loud “Hmph.” Looking up, the two women found that Polar Knight had returned to the chamber. Beside him was Black Knight, toting his weapon at the ready as usual, and…

“Shovel Knight!”

Shield Knight leapt up and ran to the blue Knight, who rushed to meet her with open arms. They embraced affectionately with a clanking of armour, and spoke to each other in a rush of breathless, half-formed words. Soon Black Knight sidled over to join in, and was welcomed heartily. Mona watched them quietly from her place on the ground, only glancing up when Polar Knight stumped over to her.

“Not what I expected,” he muttered, gruffly, before scratching his beard, “Seems to have worked anyway. Thanks.”

Mona stared up at him, blankly. Something told her she’d just experienced a very rare occurrence, but she couldn’t be sure. She’d never met Polar Knight in person before.

“Please, let us help you.”

Mona looked back at the sound of the voice to see the other Knights approaching her. Shield Knight was first, with a pained, apologetic expression on her face, and Black Knight followed.

“We need to take you someplace to recuperate. Will you let us carry you?” 

Meanwhile, Shovel Knight hastened over and produced a chalice of red liquid.

“Here, drink this!” he said, offering it forth.

Mona shook her head and snorted, softly.

“I appreciate the afterthought. But there isn’t much you can do.”

Closing her eyes, Mona concentrated hard on upward momentum. She heard noises of confusion from the Knights, and ignored them, trying to remember how it felt to be weightless. This was only her second attempt at flying, and this time she wasn’t already in the air. But, a few moments later, the corners of Mona’s mouth twitched as she heard gasps and felt her limbs loll painfully as she rose off the bloodstained ground. Yes! Thank goodness. She wanted to get back to the labs as quickly as possible.

Hesitating, Mona glanced down at the gawking Knights.

“Ah… Well. …Nice seeing you,” she said, with an awkward little wave, “Have a nice… reunion… I guess.”

Then she willed herself onwards, drifting over their heads and out into the caves. As much as she wanted to leave in a smooth glide, her flight to the exit was not a simple one. She narrowly avoided several stalactite crashes, and bounced off a few walls. Flight was still not completely under her control. But the moment she managed to emerge, she shot up into the sky and held out her one working limb, feeling the wind whip around her. Now that she was out of the caves, away from the Knights and up in the open air, she was finally able to acknowledge her miraculous discovery. 

There was a chance. There was a wonderful, magical chance that she had been wrong, utterly wrong, and it was growing more likely every second. Soaring through the sky, Mona’s heart did likewise, and she felt a laugh welling up in her throat. How could she have been so stupid? So blind? All this time she’d been letting her fears get the best of her. Going on the assumption that her horrible parents had been in the right. But how could they have known her? They took one look at her and decided she was a monster. But they had no idea who she was. Not like Plague Knight. Not like Missy. Not like Percy, and the Magicist, and the Hedge Pupil, and Oolong, and her sisters and Tinker Knight and even Spectre Knight… Because they cared about her. And that care, that love… that was where she would find the truth. She should have told them straight from the beginning. She should have remembered that she was no longer alone…

Swooping across the lands, Mona let out a whoop of relieved laughter, giving a little spin through the clouds that trailed fluffy white vapour and caused her broken limbs to flop around painfully. Oops.   
Eventually, she saw the westernmost point of The Valley come into view, with the Lich Yard’s mausoleums and Pridemoor’s towers flying by below like tiny models. Finally, she began to descend over The Village, making a beeline for The Tavern. A hubbub rose as nearby Villagers noticed her dropping lower and lower, pointing and whispering. Mona gave them another small, awkward wave, and swooped into the building. 

After gasp-filled trip through the interior, Mona finally reached her back room and called for the Torque Lifts. Seating herself on one as comfortably as possible, Mona let the contraption whirl her down to her lab, practically beaming. She had so missed enjoying the rotation of her beloved lifts; everything seemed so much more vibrant and inviting now that she had a second chance… Even the looming explanation to Plague Knight couldn’t dampen her spirits. She needed to apologize to him immediately. She felt awful for the way she’d treated him, and she needed to make it up to him somehow…

“Plague Knight!” Mona called as she rose off the lift and hovered into the lab, “Plague Knight?”

There was a soft tapping of footsteps, and Mona turned around to see a minion scuttling towards her.

“The Boss went out, ma’am,” he said, “But he–– A-are you okay?“ 

Mona glanced down at herself and was sharply reminded that she was utterly dishevelled and covered in dark blue bloodstains.

“…I’m fine,” she said, as nonchalantly as she could manage, “Now, what were you saying?”

“A-ah… right…” the minion shuffled a little, clearly not believing her assurance, before continuing, “A-as I was saying. The Boss went on a trip, and he told me to give you this.”

The minion extended a pink-gloved hand, which was holding a folded sheet of paper. Mona took it and shook it open, a feeling of foreboding pushing against her euphoria. 

 

‘Dearest Mona

HEE. I must first apologize for my outburst. I let my insecurities get the best of me, and spoke without thinking. I shouldn’t have shouted at you like I did, and scared you so. I hope that when I return, we can have a calm, frank discussion about the matter. 

Secondly, I would like to apologize for another wrongdoing; in my anger, I accidentally knocked your notebook off your desk. When I picked it up, I confess I rifled through it. HEE. I’m sorry for prying into your secret project, and I am sorrier for jumping to conclusions! But I hope to turn this trespass into a means of making amends! This ‘Serum Destructus’ project of yours sounds devilishly delightful, HEE. I wish I could ask you what you mean to do with it, but I will have to wait and see. HEE. What I have learned, however, is that you’ve been having trouble some obtaining the ingredients! How frustrating! But have no fear. I have gone to reclaim the Brimstone for you, and will return posthaste. I hope that this can make up, in some way, for my foolishness…

Mona, if you do not love me, I understand. You don’t have to pretend for my sake. I would much rather be parted from you peacefully than continue our relationship and force you into something you don’t want. I want you to be happy! HEE. But perhaps… we could remain friends? You are my greatest and, indeed, first friend. Your companionship has meant more to me than I can possibly express, and it certainly means more than a few kisses. 

Nevertheless, whatever your decision is, I will respect it. See you soon, HEE.

Plague Knight.’

 

Mona held the letter in trembling fingers. She’d completely forgotten. The Brimstone. The Ruins of Fate. The wayward souls– Oh, Plague Knight!

“You!” barked Mona, startling the minion, who flinched to attention, “Go get Missy! NOW!!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello Hello! Sorry for yet another cliffhanger, but I'm rather fond of them... They help split up the chapters nicely. Anyway! We're coming ever closer to the end of this tale and I'd just like to thank everyone again for sticking with it! I'd especially like to thank Zorua_Illusion for that novel of a comment you left me! I love feedback and I'm very touched you think so highly of my work, and I'm glad it brought a smile to ya. I hope to provide a few more zany adventures in future! Anyway, we only have the ending and the epilogue left, guys! So stay tuned... --TS
> 
> P.S.: There will most likely be a small message in the notes next chapter asking you guys a particular question, so keep an eye out for that too! If you want to, heheh.


	19. The End

The minion Mona had sent off returned a few moments later, trailing a very concerned-looking Missy. The moment the girl caught sight of Mona’s battered body, her face blanched and she broke into a run.

“M-Moany?! W-what happened?!”

“Missy–“ Mona tried to speak, but Missy didn’t seem to hear her.

“Where did you go?!” cried the young woman, throwing herself against Mona’s desk with a thud and a squeak, “I got worried when you disappeared and nobody knew where you’d gone! A-and they said something about hearing you fight with Plaguey– What–”

“Missy, I’m sorry,” Mona managed to interrupt her, “I was wrong about everything.”

Missy blinked, loosening her grip on the wood and staring up at her, “H-huh?”

“You were right. I wasn’t thinking, I was jumping to conclusions– and now Plague Knight might be in danger and I need your help.”

With that, Mona waved her left hand in an arc, conjuring several heavy sacks of gold in a flash of blue. These hit the ground in a series of loud thuds and spilled over as they landed, spewing coins.

“Do your wisp thing again, as fast as you can. I need to fix things… With everyone.”

Missy’s lips wobbled, and her eyes glittered wetly.

“Oh Moany…”

“Quickly,” said Mona, urgently, “I don’t think I have much time!”

Thankfully, Missy decided to save her tearful inquiries for later. Hopping to it, she rushed back and forth, dumping the rest of the coins out of the sacks and arranging them in those peculiar patterns. Mona wished she knew the method herself, so that she could help expedite the process. At this very moment, Plague Knight could be at the Ruins of Fate, fighting for his life, or– Mona didn’t want to think about it. 

Luckily, Missy had years of practice on her side. Soon enough, she was holding out her hands and concentrating, murmuring her songlike spell under her breath. The gold coins around her feet began to hiss and spit, belching plumes of green smoke. There were so many this time that the haze practically obscured her. Mona watched anxiously as the billowing green coalesced in Missy’s palms, growing thicker and thicker. At last, Missy brought her hands around swiftly and struck them together with a loud clap, causing a burst of magic. Then she held out her open palms, which displayed several glowing, emerald embers.

“Okay! I’ve got them! Show me your wounds!”

Mona promptly banished her gown, leaving her in her blood-stained shift, and indicated her dislocated shoulder, broken knee and slashed thigh. With practiced movements, Missy carefully lit the embers and pressed them into the wounds, melding the damaged flesh and readjusting the broken bone. The moment she pulled away, Mona leapt to her feet and summoned her full lab-wear.

“I have to go, now,” she said, “I’ll be back… soon. Thank you.”

And before Missy could protest, Mona took three, quick steps, and disappeared.

 

The first thing she perceived upon arriving was the echoes of an explosion, and then dark, crumbling rock. The air was cold, and heavy, laden with a feeling Mona was almost certain she’d perceived at the Lich Yard.

“Mona?!”

Whipping around, Mona caught sight of Plague Knight, who she had, as usual, teleported right next to. He leapt away from her, sounding startled.

“W-what are you doing?!” he cried, “Get out of here! There’s something–“

There was a sudden roar. Looking up, Mona felt her nonfunctioning stomach flip over. Sure enough, it was there. The accumulation of wayward souls was looming above them, staring down with its many blank, white eyes. It seemed to have changed since she’d last seen it. Evolved. Its huge, translucent mass of flailing limbs had twisted and melded into a more humanoid creature. But just barely. It had arms, and legs, and a head, alright. But they were ever-changing and moving, comprised of hundreds of eyes and teeth and fingers and tongues and whatever else was haphazardly pressed together to create its ramshackle form. Mona shuddered. It reminded her of the Single Multitude. They’d barely escaped from the creature, and it had been damageable by conventional -if slightly obscure- means. This thing… this thing was only held back by the narrow salt circle that had managed to stay intact due to the shelter of the rubble. 

Before Mona could reply to her partner, however, the wayward souls moved. One of its tangled, malformed arms shot out with an unnerving elasticity and careened directly towards Plague Knight. It hit before either of them could move, slamming him into the ground. 

“GET AWAY FROM HIM!”

Mona threw herself at the arm, fingertips blazing. Though she couldn’t touch it directly, her fire seemed to repel it. But, to her surprise, it was already drawing away. As she watched, she noticed its long, monstrous fingers try to grip Plague Knight’s body… yet they could not hold him. It was as if there was some kind of barrier keeping the digits just at bay… And then Mona realized what it was with a wave of relief. The Pandemonium Cloak! It was infused with Holy Ichor– and as the old necromancy book had said, entities from beyond -especially those corrupted- were weak to the presence of divine magic!

Plague Knight leapt up again, scuttling away from the retreating hand, and reached out to grab Mona’s.

“Hee! You need to get out of here– this thing just won’t die!” he cried.

“That’s because it’s already dead,” Mona replied, “You’re the one who needs to get out of here! This is my mess– I have to clean it up!”

“What are you talking about?!” Plague Knight tugged her away from the creature, towards the crumbling path out of the little arena, “Let me handle this– I’ll get your Brimstone, and–“

“I don’t care about the Brimstone!” Mona shouted, yanking back, hard, and causing Plague Knight to overbalance, “I care about you!”

Mona glanced back at the wayward souls. They were just coming to the edge of the salt circle, and proceeded to bang against the invisible wall with their roiling fists. 

“It’s my fault that thing is up here. I need to send it back.”

“B-back? Back where?! Mona–“

“To the underworld. It escaped when I tried to get the Brimstone. I left it alone like an idiot, and now it’s only gotten worse– I need to get rid of it once and for all!”

“And how do you plan on doing that, hee?! You can’t even touch it!”

It seemed Plague Knight had decided to stop questioning her presence, but his agitation remained. And for good reason. Mona narrowed her eyes.

“How were you fending it off before I got here?”

“With my bombs, hee! They don’t do any damage, but it seems they can keep it at bay!”

“Then I need you to cover me. There’s only one thing I can think of that might solve this, and it requires concentration.”

It was a simple plan. Perhaps too simple. Mona still hadn’t figured out a way to send the wayward souls back to their proper resting place. But at this point, she had little choice. She couldn’t leave this any longer, and she was furious with herself for leaving it as long as she did. She’d been sloppy, disorganized and rushed this whole time. All because she’d let fear and pain run away with her. But no more. For the first time in a very long while, Mona was beginning to feel like herself again. The self she’d built up over the past few years, scraped at, fought for. And that self wasn’t about to shirk responsibility. 

Striding away from the circle, Mona held out her left hand and conjured a Bait Bomb. She willed herself into the air and sped towards the shore of the ruins, where the black sand melted into dark water. Twisting the wick and winding up, Mona tossed the explosive into the depths, causing a loud boom. Just as she’d hoped, a wriggling, eel-like creature shot out of the water, becoming visible as it fell towards her. Mona grabbed it in her left hand a held tight, fighting easily against its slippery skin and electric current. 

Returning to the salt-circle, Mona came to stand next to a very confused Plague Knight.

“Mona, what– Why do you have a Serprize? Hee– Is that thing allergic to seafood?”

“I need you to get it away from the edge of the circle so I can get in,” Mona said, ignoring his joke, “Then I’ll need to head to that flat patch of rock at the end. Keep it away from me until I get back to you.”

To her surprise, Plague Knight saluted without a second thought.

“Heehee! On the double, partner!”

Leaping forwards, Plague Knight burst directly at the salt-barrier, deploying a pair of Drop casing bombs, which burst into bright pink orbs as they touched the ground. The wayward souls, who had continued to slam angrily against the barrier, shied back with a roar. Plague Knight merely burst after it, cackling madly.

Mona followed him, dodging to the side and sprinting towards the flat stretch of stone while the monster was distracted. When she arrived, she put the still-wriggling Serprize down and stepped on it to keep it from getting away. Then she raised her hands and conjured a stick of chalk, a red string, four copper pieces, and the long-forgotten silver dagger.

‘Thank the gods I remember those stupid runes,’ Mona thought to herself as she knelt down and began to chalk the markings onto the stone. 

Plague Knight’s explosions were loud, and cast eerie flashes of light over her workspace, causing her shadow to flicker ominously. Meanwhile, the Serprize continued to struggle for freedom under her legs. As annoying as these distractions were while she was trying to work, they were a good thing. It meant that both perpetrators were still alive.  
Squinting at her work, Mona did a quick double-check, then carefully positioned the copper pieces in their places. Two adjacent at the top of the markings, and two adjacent at the bottom, on top of the glyphs representing closed eyes. 

Straightening, Mona picked up her frantic catch and began the arduous process of looping the red string around it properly. The Serprize was determined not to cooperate, and Mona found herself wishing once again that she could do Missy’s mood magic to calm it down. Her fingers fumbled slightly, and her body trembled as she worked; every second she wasted was a second of Plague Knight’s safety being compromised. Though she took heart in his cloak’s divine protection, she still worried the creature would find away inside, anyway– Plague Knight’s fingers, for example. They were the only part of him uncovered, and quite small besides, but…

Finally managing to tie the Serprize up properly, Mona placed it into the centre of her chalk markings and stood up. She’d fixed the string around it in such a way that bound its long body into a smaller, less cumbersome shape, so that it wouldn’t smudge any of the runes. Closing her eyes, Mona gripped the hilt of the silver dagger and held out her free hand. Raising her voice, she recited the arcane incantation, shouting above the blasts of Plague Knight’s bombs and the roars of the wayward souls. As before, the runes lit up, and the air pressure increased.

“…Τώρα, τροφοδοτείτε. Άνοιξε!”

As the final words left her lips, Mona plunged the dagger into the Serprize, angling the blade and pulling so that she cleanly severed its head. The sea creature flopped a moment longer, then lay still. And then came the deep, dreadful thrum, followed by the red string going taut and obliterating the tangled corpse, leaving nothing but a gaping black maw in its wake. The portal was open.

Mona wasted no time in flying to Plague Knight’s side. Her partner was still tossing bombs left and right, keeping the creature’s attention on him. As Mona approached, he glanced her way, then burst to her side.

“Mona! Heehee! I don’t know what your plan is, but hopefully it involves this thing being hopping mad!”

“We need to corral it,” replied Mona, pointing behind her, “We need to force it into that portal!”

“Weeheehee! You got it!”

Leaping away, Plague Knight repositioned himself on the other side of the creature, and Mona summoned balls of blue flames into her hands. This was it. They had to seal it, once and for all! Unfortunately, it was easier said than done. The creature was malleable and slippery, squeezing between Plague Knight’s bombs and Mona’s fire to escape to another corner of the arena.

“Hee! When did you learn to do that?!” cried Plague Knight, spotting Mona’s blasts of blue fire.

“I’ve been very busy,” Mona called, pushing back the wayward souls just before they passed her. 

It was a frantic, yet almost graceful chase. Mona and Plague Knight ducked and weaved, leaping over each other and staying on either side of the wayward souls to close them in. Even with Plague Knight’s unpredictable bomb roster, they were both able to circumvent its shortcomings. Plague Knight would adopt a new stance for each combination, while Mona would adjust her movements to fill in the gaps. They were almost in perfect synch, as if they could read each others minds. As if they were dancing… Mona felt a swell of hope; they could really do this! They could send the wayward souls back to the underworld, and maybe… maybe they could make up.

They were so close, now. The wayward souls were edging backwards, trying, but failing, to avoid moving towards the gate at the back of the arena. In a stroke of luck, Plague Knight drew a Cascade bomb, and threw up a wall of magenta flames. The souls screeched and shied away, backing right on top of the portal.

“It’s over top!” Mona cried, “Keep up that wall! I’m going to try to push it in!”

“Hee! Roger!”

Concentrating, Mona pictured the formula she’d created for Cascade Powder, and willed it into her hands. The balls of flame there grew to twice their size and threw off sparks. Mona levitated into the air and thrust them at the creature, which writhed and struggled.

“Back!” Mona shouted, “Go back!”

Gritting her teeth, she increased the intensity even more, and felt the fire begin to sear her palms. Plague Knight’s walls remained firm, keeping the creature boxed in. It was actually starting to back into the portal, its body convulsing and squeezing to fit through. 

‘One last push…’ Mona thought, ‘One last flare.’

Mona sucked in a reflexive breath, then raised her hands to deliver the final blow. But just then, something went wrong. The pink light from behind her winked out, and instead, there were three soft thuds. Turning for a fraction of a second, Mona saw that Plague Knight’s cloak had once again changed colour. And instead of Cascade bombs, Plague Knight had let loose a trio of regular old Black Powder explosives. The leftmost casing bounced across the ground, right up to the edge of the circle, and detonated. Shrapnel and salt flew everywhere, and in that moment of shock, the wayward souls made their move. As one, the creature swelled out of the closing portal and barrelled through the gap in the circle. The gate itself snapped behind it, disappearing.

“NO!”

Mona’s flames were extinguished as she soared after the creature, robes billowing behind her in the air. It was moving extremely fast now, scuttling on hundreds of writhing, milky legs. Making a sharp turn, its momentary lapse in momentum gave Mona a little more ground on it. To her horror, she realized that it was heading across the lake, towards the snowy shores of The Valley. It was looking for a body. She couldn’t let it find one.   
Putting on a burst of speed, Mona summoned vats from the Explodatorium, letting them crash down to earth as close to the souls as she could manage. The impacts caused the unstable contents to explode, causing the creature to weave and shriek. Once they hit the water, however, the vats no longer detonated. But their purpose was served. Mona had managed to get right up above the tail-end of the creature, and as they reached the freezing banks of the lake, Mona swooped down and threw out her hands.

“STOP!”

A new salt circle appear around them, closing them in. The wayward souls hit the barrier with a crash, its body undulating in waves as it collided. Mona landed and summoned her flames again. But… but to do what? She could try to create another portal, but it would take time, and the creature would once again try to avoid it at all costs. Even worse, it seemed to have figured out how the circle worked; at this very moment, it was crouched by the base of the barrier, clawing at it fruitlessly. If it somehow managed to disrupt the salt, it would escape again. She couldn’t leave it alone, and it would take time for Plague Knight to reach her. 

“There has to be an answer,” Mona murmured aloud, wracking her brains, “I can’t run from it anymore. I have to get rid of it now..!”

But how? She was an alchemist. She dealt with the science of the earth. She bent elements to her whim and transformed the world around her. But this was a creature of the beyond. She’d never used alchemy on a soul before, and, despite her recent growth, she still didn’t know any magical spells that might help. What she really needed was knowledge of necromancy… but she’d only been able to get her hands on those two, battered volumes. And the only thing she’d gleaned from them was the incantation for the portal that was no longer safe to use. If only Missy were here! She might have an idea, some clue as to how to progress! 

And yet… Missy did have a clue. She’d told her the answer so long ago, in casual conversation on the very topic at hand. Missy’s words returned to her from the past, revealing the answer.

‘Mhm! Once they’re inside, they’re sort of alive again, you know?’

If the wayward souls gained a body, they would once more be considered alive. And when the living expired, their souls were drawn inexorably into the depths. It was how the portal functioned, and it was also a part of how Mona remained tethered to the world. Her soul, living inside an object, keeping her bound to life, even when her body was destroyed…

Mona extinguished her flames and stared down at her gloved hands. They still stung faintly from the burns she’d sustained. The right one, at least. The left was completely devoid of sensation, now. These hands had seen so much, built so much, accomplished so much… But after all, they were simply meat and bone. It was the mind behind them, the engine from within that drove them. Mona closed her fists. The wayward souls wanted a body… they would get a body.

Steeling herself, Mona walked to the centre of the circle and looked to the creature, which was still frantically attempting to break the barrier. 

“HEY!” Mona shouted, “YOU!”

The creature paused, then turned, many glassy eyes swivelling to stare at her.

“You want me?” Mona held out her hands, showing no weapons, no fire, no obstacles, “Come and get me.”

The souls hesitated. Then they swarmed. And just before they did, Mona’s hand flew to her chest. Praying this would work, she closed her fist around the jewel at her throat, and with a monumental tug, wrenched it free. 

The world changed. One moment, she was staring at the oncoming souls, and then her view was spinning wildly, a blur of colour and sound. She tried to grit her teeth, tried to push against the momentum, but she no longer had limbs to carry her. 

‘No,’ she thought, furiously, ‘Let me stand! Let me up! Let me–– out!!’

And as soon as she seized on that one, desperate wish, Mona felt herself expanding. Like the blast radius of an explosion, her form spread outwards, twisting and spiralling into an almost-familiar shape. A head, a neck, a torso, all wreathed in undulating black. She was big– bigger even than her human form; enormous, monumental, expansive. She loomed over the circle like a dark cloud of smoke. And then came the hands. One, two, three, four, five, six– as many as she could think of, all independent, all untethered, ready to shape the world…

Her body, meanwhile, was laying motionless on the ground below. The wayward souls hadn’t noticed her transformation, and were rising above her as one. In a milky stream, they poured into her skin, which seethed and contorting grotesquely as too many souls took up residence beneath its surface. Then, slowly, the figure moved. Bracing its hands against the ground, it pushed itself slowly to its feet, stumbling slightly and staring around.

“By the gods…” it uttered.

Mona felt a wave of revulsion ripple through her. To see it from the outside, her own body moving like that, speaking in her voice… It was horrifying. But it wasn’t her. Not anymore. It was merely an accessory, a piece of equipment, like goggles or gloves. And upon casting it off, Mona finally grasped that this whirling, pulsing, endlessly transforming manifestation of pure magic was truly her. And it felt… warm. She was Mona Mopes, through and through, and she always had been. She was free to mold herself into whatever she pleased, free to become whatever she imagined; like alchemy, she was potential incarnate. A great calm settled over her, clearing her mind. Her goal was clear. She Knew what to do.

Reaching out, Mona conjured more salt into the circle below, tracing out the particular criss-crossing lines and rings of her craft in fine white powder. Her body staggered below, beginning to get its bearings. It let out a cry as it finally gazed up at her, stumbling backwards in fear. It jerked and twitched, trying to cooperate on some kind of action. But it couldn’t. All those souls in one body, clamouring to take root… It wasn’t right. It wasn’t meant to be like this.

“Calm down,” said Mona, her voice echoing across the chilly shore, “It will be over soon.”

Salt and sulphur. The elements of body and spirit. Mona bound them together, and the circle began to glow. Her body continued to stumble around frantically, trying to run, but tripped over its long, unfamiliar legs. Mona ignored it, adding further symbols; the silver moon, the V-shape ending in gentle curves. The glowing increased, almost blindingly white, and Mona’s body cried out again in fear. Then, suddenly, the glow subsided. Her body trembled in the middle of the circle, hands over its face. As it slowly glanced up with wide, green eyes, it gazed at Mona with a look of wonderment on its features. 

“I… I feel…”

Mona looked back, already raising another hand into the air to trace out an upward-pointing triangle. The shape hung there for a moment, like an afterimage, picked out in glittering blue light. Then it tipped over, parallel to the ground, and opened up. A column of flame shot out of it, white hot and roiling. It hit Mona’s body before it could react, consuming its form completely. Mona watched it billow and buffet against the ground, before it dissipated, and the symbol for fire above winked out. 

There was nothing left. Just glassy, scorched earth, and a broken circle. Her body was gone, and she would never get it back. Yet… so were the wayward souls. Soothed and banished from the living world, carried by death to the place beyond, where they could rest. It was over.

And then, Mona heard little steps on the sand. Whirling around, Mona saw the tiny, brightly-coloured figure of her partner scuttling across the shore. With a sharp gasp, Mona instinctively retreated into her amulet, her body dissolving into blue radiance which flowed rapidly into the jewel. No longer supported by any sort of form, solid or otherwise, the glowing gemstone fell out of the air. Mona’s view became a blur again as she plummeted to earth, bouncing a few times, before coming to rest in the sand. The sky above twinkled with stars, consuming Mona’s entire world. She could do nothing but stare as the faint footsteps became louder. Then a large green beak loomed into view, followed by a hood, shoulders, sleeves, hands. And suddenly, she was being lifted up in cold fingers, raised to meet two, blank black lenses.

“Mona..?” Plague Knight whispered, trembling, “Are you in there?”

Mona was speechless for a moment, before whispering back in a voice that was more thought than sound, “Yes.”

Suddenly Mona was engulfed in darkness. She realized, quickly, that Plague Knight had clutched her to his chest. It heaved, and Mona could hear his heart thumping from within. 

“W-what– What happened, Mona, w-what’s going on,” Plague Knight gasped, “W-why did you– Why are you–“

“I’m sorry,” Mona blurted, before he could finish, “I should have told you from the start, I should have explained– I panicked and I hid and– and I thought I was done being a coward but––“

Mona forced herself to stem the flow of words, trying to string them into more coherent sentences. 

“I… The Serum Destructus… It was supposed to be my last opus.”

“W-what? Why?” Plague Knight turned his beak back and forth, anxiously, “What does that mean, Mona?”

Mona hesitated, then steeled herself. Time to come clean. Visibly glowing with blue light, she spoke again.

“Plague Knight… I’m an Enchantress.”

There was a silence. Plague Knight stared.

“Eh… Hee?”

“T-that’s why I’m green, and why I had so much trouble controlling my magic, and–“ Mona faltered, “A-and I… I was scared that… I would turn out like her, and everyone would hate me. So I… I created the Serum Destructus to…”

“Mona,” breathed Plague Knight, and she felt his fingers tighten, “M-Mona, no–“

“B-but it’s different now!” Mona interrupted him, quickly, “I realized… I realized I was all wrong. I wasn’t thinking straight. The truth is, I… I was so terrified of being alone again… that I forgot I wasn’t, anymore.”

Plague Knight’s trembling fingers shook even more and she heard him hiccup.

“And I’m sorry,” Mona hastened, her own voice growing strained, “I was horrible to you. I was so certain that you’d loathe me the moment you found out, I panicked… I thought it would make things better if I drew away from you, to soften the blow for both of us… But I just ended up hurting you!”

Mona’s amulet began to heat up, warming Plague Knight’s freezing fingers. She was sure he’d be angry at her. He had every right to be. And she would bear it, no matter how excruciating. She owed it to him– an apology, at least.

“I’m sorry, Plague Knight! I’m so sorry! It’s all my fault!”

To Mona’s surprise, Plague Knight suddenly let out a shaky burble of laughter.

“Oh Mona, hee! I forgive you– Of course I do!”

Mona’s amulet flashed.

“W-what? Why?!” she squawked, “What I did was selfish and awful, a-and it almost got you killed! A-aren’t you even a little bit angry? You deserve to be angry!”

Plague Knight tittered again, and sat down on the sand with a soft flump.

“Eheh, well, I’m not exactly pleased, I do admit,” he said, “But I can’t agree that it’s all your fault. I contributed to this mess, too…”

“How?!” Mona cried, glowing even brighter, “How in the nine hells is any of this even slightly your fault?!”

Plague Knight carefully deposited her in his lap and placed his palms on the sand, “Eheh, you’re getting a little difficult to hold, Mona…”

Mona realized she must be quite hot. She tried to lower her temperature to a more bearable degree. Scooping her up again with his hands in his sleeves, Plague Knight continued.

“I can hardly claim to have acted any more rational that you did,” he said, “I spent this whole time fretting that you were losing interest in me! Wondering if your affection had been a lie in the first place– I let my insecurities get the best of me and I acted like a fool–“

He ran a hand over his beak, glumly, “I was so self-absorbed, wallowing in self-pity and hatred… That I didn’t even imagine that your strange behaviour could be a cry for help… Eheh… I f-failed you…”

The regret in his voice was agonizing.

“No– No, Plague Knight, it’s not your fault, it–“

“Heh. I guess we both still have some issues to work through, don’t we..?”

There was a silence. Despite the situation, there was a note of rueful humour in Plague Knight’s tone. And he was right… After they’d felled the Tower, it seemed like they’d both thought their troubles were over. Plague Knight would no longer feel inferior, Mona would no longer hide away her feelings… But a single declaration of love and a collapsed stronghold weren’t enough to cure years of trauma. They’d been presumptuous. And yet, that little suggestion of a laugh in his voice was like a tiny spark of light. Plague Knight wasn’t resigned– he was aware. He knew there was a long road ahead, and he was ready to walk it. And Mona was ready to be there by his side.

“I-I guess so,” murmured Mona, with a faint chuckle.

Plague Knight gently ran a thumb over the breadth of Mona’s amulet, and she felt the caress as if she still had skin.

“…So… You’re really not afraid of me..?” she asked, timidly. She felt stupid for having to confirm it, but she really needed to hear the truth.

“Heh, of course not,” said Plague Knight, with a giggle, “So what if you’re an Enchantress? You’re Mona! And I care immensely about you. So long as you’re Mona, I could’t give a fig what else you are.”

Mona had to stifle her heat again, though it was difficult. 

“Heh… And I mean, if you can stomach my true form…” he added, glumly trailing off and scratching his neck with one taloned hand, “You’re not the only one guilty of hiding things, you know…”

“Plague Knight, I couldn’t care less about you being an Avian,” Mona said, firmly, “Why did you even lie about it in the first place?”

Plague Knight chuckled guiltily, “W-well… Firstly, Human-Avian couples are incredibly rare, and almost never work out. Biological differences, you know…”

Mona couldn’t hold back a snort. The idea that being unable to reproduce with him would keep them apart was laughable. Especially since they were alchemists. 

“But even if that didn’t matter, I… I’m barely an Avian anyway…” Plague Knight sighed and splayed his talons, “Never had feathers, never will. Just a… an ugly, scrawny bag of skin. Hee! I’d like to think nothing gets to me, but… I do hate to let people see what’s under this mask. Heh. I’m quite the craven Craven, aren’t I..?”

“Oh, Plague Knight…” 

Mona wished she could reach up and cup his beak in her hands. She almost stretched out a finger of magic towards him, but withdrew it almost immediately for fear of accidentally possessing him. She wasn’t sure how all that worked, but she had a feeling that if she got too close, she might accidentally slip inside. She still wanted to comfort him, though, yet she couldn’t quite find the right words… as usual. 

“I just wish I still had my arms,” she blurted out, awkwardly, “So I… So I could hold you…”

Plague Knight fidgeted and giggled shyly, “Hee! W-well, I-I… Er, what happened to your body anyway?”

He cocked his head, “I saw you transform into some kind of… big smoky creature! Then you went in here…”

“Oh, that…” if Mona could wriggle, she would, “I, um… Kinda used my body to send the wayward souls back. It’s… not really… around anymore.”

“Heeheehee! Oh Mona!” Plague Knight shuffled to his feet, tucking her amulet securely into his palm, “What a reckless stunt! Am I rubbing off on you?”

Mona flared with heat, “You are right now. Be a little more gentle with me.”

Plague Knight tittered again but did hold onto her with a lighter, yet still firm grip, “Well! I think we should wrap up our little conversation for the moment– we’ll have plenty of time to talk later! But we should return to the labs post-haste, heehee!”

“What are you suddenly so cheerful about?” asked Mona, suspiciously, “Are you up to something?”

“Hee! Of course not! What do you take me for?!” Mona felt him begin scuttling across the beach, “I’m simply glad to know that you… ah…”

“…I love you,” Mona mumbled, finishing his sentence. 

Plague Knight clicked his heels and sped on, “Heeheehee!”

“So, you don’t mind dating a rock?” asked Mona, trying to hide the growing affection in her voice.

“Weehee! Of course I do! I could hardly leave you like this!” cried Plague Knight.

“But I’d have to possess someone to have another body,” said Mona, “I’m not going to do that. …Unless I reeeaaally have to.”

Plague Knight cackled mischievously, “Oh, perish the thought! I won’t have you lurching around in just any corpse!”

“Then what would you have me do..?”

“Heehee…” Mona felt Plague Knight squeeze her, gently, “You know, since I looked at your secret project… I feel it’s only fair to show you mine..!”

“It wouldn’t happen to be explosive in nature, would it?” asked Mona, sardonically, wishing she could squeeze him back.

“Hee, you’re one to talk! But no, not unless I got it terribly wrong. Even if it was, though, you wouldn’t be disappointed, would you? After all, you know what they say…”

Mona glowed.

“The bigger the explosion…”

“…The better the alchemist!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello folks! I present to you the final chapter (save the epilogue) of Child of Magic. I'll save my thank-yous for next time as I have more to discuss here, but rest assured I'm always so happy to know you're sticking with/enjoying my work!
> 
> First, to CoRvid on your last comment– fun fact! In one of the original drafts for this story, Plague Knight *was* supposed to find out Mona had been at the Flying Machine with Propeller Knight. However, I ended up cutting it as it seemed impossible for him to find out so quickly. In fact, this story went through a tonne of changes since its first imagining– most drastically, the main quest was about Cipher Coins instead of Essences, Mona's ancestor was the straight-up villain, and the ending involved Mona and Shield Knight fusing to defeat him. This version, however, sat much better with me, and made a lot more sense.
> 
> ANYWAY! ONTO THE IMPORTANT PART:
> 
> As I said last time, I had a question for all of you. Since this series is ending (I always sort of envisioned it as a trilogy, and I'm rather surprised I actually completed it) I was wondering what you all might like to see next? I'm currently debating writing a small companion piece to tie off one last loose end, but otherwise, I don't have any ideas... However, I'd really like to keep writing until King of Cards launches! To keep things alive, you know? So, if anyone has any suggestions for characters to follow, plot prompts, ships, etc that they might like to see, comment with them and I'll do my best to cook something up! Thanks again for all the love, and I'll see you in the epilogue! --TS
> 
> PS- apologies to anyone who speaks Greek for that google translation...


	20. The Epilogue (of this tale)

The main hall of the Explodatorium looked gorgeous. Braziers and sconces had been installed everywhere, their light transforming the gloomy green chamber into a welcoming, verdant cathedral. Garlands and bouquets of flowers littered the space, adorning the walls and sprouting up from the chair-backs. Long tables filled with food and drink were set up, draped in snow-white cloth and laden with handsome silverware. And to top it all off, a beautiful arch of ivy had been erected to overlook the vows.

The wedding had gone off without a hitch. Percy sat contentedly at the head of the banquet table, grazing on the delicious meal provided by the Gastronomer. The official part of the ceremony had ended, and now the guests were eating and mingling to their hearts content. Percy’s family was sitting close by, chatting animatedly with what few relatives of the Magicist they had been able to contact. Meanwhile, coworkers and friends from The Village and the Armour Outpost were all gathered as well, merrily partaking in the festivities. Even the Bard’s marvellous new band, Mint Potion, was still playing tunes for the guests to dance to.

Percy occasionally glanced down and admired the simple golden band on his hoof. He’d vacillated, over the years, on whether he’d ever actually wear one. He’d dated countless fair maidens -more than a hundred, by his count!- and was very assured in his romantic abilities. Yet he had begun to wonder whether he would ever be able to find the fabled ‘one’. 

But there she was, sitting a little ways down the table, surrounded by her eager bridesmaids and decked out in pale-blue and gold. An absolute angel of a woman, Percy was convinced the Magicist had sprung right out of a fairytale. She wasn’t only good looking, but sweet in temperament, diligent in her work, and brilliantly intelligent. Percy’s heart had been stolen the moment he met her, and thinking that she was already interested in someone else had been excruciating. Working beside her every day had been such sweet torture, until he discovered her affection for him. It was the happiest day of his life… Well. Second happiest, now.

Gazing over fondly, Percy watched the Magicist chat with her bridesmaids. He was glad the issue with the Maid of Honour had been resolved in time. When Mona had backed so abruptly out of the wedding, he’d been most upset. But then it had come to light that, apparently, she was seriously ill and more than a little delirious. According to Plague Knight, anyway. This put her strange behaviour and sudden refusal in a new light, and Percy was immediately willing to forgive her. As for her replacement, well… He had to admit, The Baz made an excellent guard for his darling Magicist. Plus, he filled out his dress quite nicely. 

Percy’s best man, on the other hand, had attended without complication. Plague Knight was currently nearby the Magicist, reluctantly listening to a curvy blonde bridesmaid attempt to chat him up. He had agreed, to Percy’s delight, to wear the suit that had been tailored for him. It was a modest but handsome black number with a snowy white blouse and a matching cravat. He looked half-way fashionable, for once! If only he’d agreed to remove that ghoulish mask of his… But Percy supposed everyone had their little quirks. The alchemist had made up for it slightly with a handsome blue brooch that he’d added to the ensemble before the ceremony. Percy thought it was a nice addition, and was touched to see Plague Knight putting in such effort for the wedding.

In fact, Plague Knight had more than lived up to his role as best man. He’d kept Percy company before the ceremony, assuaged his anxieties, guarded him from rivals, and even written a toast! Percy had nearly teared up when Plague Knight described him and his bride as ‘…the most disgustingly romantic people I’ve ever met, hee! Even worse than Propeller Knight!’   
He could be a strange little man with a strange sense of humour and a strange definition of friendship, but Percy wouldn’t have chosen anyone else to see him through this experience. 

Feeling immense goodwill towards the world, Percy sat contentedly back in his chair, closing his eyes and soaking up the atmosphere. What a wonderful day. What a wonderful, perfect, excellent, magnificent–

Percy felt a tap on his shoulder and opened his eyes, glancing up to see his beloved leaning over him.

“My love!” Percy leapt up and pulled the Magicist into his arms, “Am I to recapture you from your maids at last?”

The Magicist gave a soft, breathy chuckle and planted a kiss on his muzzle.

“Oh, um, yes,” she murmured, “I told them I’d like to come back up and sit with you. Actually, um, there’s something I just remembered and, uh, I think I should tell you about it. Good..?”

Letting the Magicist go, Percy allowed her to sit down and followed suit, before reaching out and taking her hands, tenderly.

“What is it, my darling? Is the reception missing something? Did you want to make a toast? Are you thirsty? Tell me! I’m all ears!”

The Magicist smiled and shook her head slowly, “Oh, um, no, that’s not quite it.”

With a small squeeze, she leaned forwards slightly, so that her low voice would reach him over the hubbub of the party.

“I just wanted to mention, um, I think it would be a good time to let you know that I’m, uh, pregnant.” 

 

\- - -

 

Deep underground, the many tunnels of the Lost City were buzzing with activity. Or rather, clattering. Scores of skeletal workmen trooped along, toting shovels, picks and augers. Mole Knight surveyed them steadily, claws crossed. He would occasionally break his scrutiny to shoot surreptitious glances at the floating figure of his old colleague out of the corner of his eyes. 

When Spectre Knight had appeared at the outskirts of the Lost City, requesting entrance, Mole Knight had been suspicious. After the Order had disbanded, everyone had been glad to see the back of that lugubrious lich. He wasn’t exactly popular among them, due mostly to the fact that their unwanted stint in the organization had been his fault.   
Mole Knight himself had always been mistrustful of him, mainly due to his solitary disposition. Mole Knight didn’t trust loners. Anybody who refused to work in a team was almost certainly self-serving and unreliable.  
Yet, to Mole Knight’s surprise, Spectre Knight had arrived, not with his scythe, but with an olive branch. And about a hundred undead.

“These skeletal warriors were employed by the Enchantress,” he’d explained, “Now that she is gone, they have no purpose on this earth. They are eager for work, and the heat will not bother them. I wish to provide… a mutually beneficial arrangement.”

After a little convincing, Mole Knight had finally caved -haha- and hired the skeletal workers. To his satisfaction, they were adjusting quite well, so far. Just as Spectre Knight had said, they were unbothered by the sweltering temperatures, and seemed to have an uncanny affinity for dirt.   
Yet despite the quality of labour being done, Mole Knight couldn’t help but wonder what Spectre Knight’s motives were. Was this some kind of trick? A trap? A clever ruse to steal his domain? Mole Knight wasn’t one to avoid conflict, so he finally spoke up.

“What’s your angle, reaper?” he asked, turning to Spectre Knight and planting his claws on his hips, “If you’re lookin’ for favours, you’d better spit’em out right now.”

“You have already fulfilled my request,” said Spectre Knight, “I require nothing more of you.”

“You just needed a place to store your skeletons, huh?”

“In a manner of speaking…”

The way he said it, Mole Knight wasn’t sure Spectre Knight was speaking literally.

“I merely wish to help these people,” continued the ghostly Knight, “An undeath with no purpose is a miserable one. You, however, are the most purposeful man I have ever met. I believe they will do well in your employ.”

Mole Knight squinted at him, mulling over his words. Spectre Knight seemed… different, somehow. Mole Knight couldn’t quite put his claw on it, but something in the reaper had changed. At least what he was saying seemed to point to some kind of upheaval. As wary as Mole Knight was of the man, his words somehow rung true. 

“What happened to you?” Mole Knight asked, bluntly, “You changed.”

“Perhaps…” murmured Spectre Knight, before adjusting his cloak and turning away, “Well. It appears all is well, here. I must take my leave… I have other business to attend to.”

And with that, the Knight disappeared in a whirl of tattered red cloak, preventing any further inquiry. Mole Knight heaved a sigh and shook his head. Maybe the man was having some kind of mid-life crisis? …Or mid-death, rather. Oh well. No point dwelling on it. He had a whole mess of new employees to welcome to the team. Speaking of which..!

“Ah, Sr. Mole Knight!”

A pair of red boneclangs had broken away from the crowd, trotting over to him eagerly.

“I must thank you again for allowing us to explore your ruins,” said the man of the pair, tipping his cap genially.

“Yes, we have been itching to return to the hunt for some time!” cried the woman.

“Well, I couldn’t refuse a couple of fellow relic-hunters,” said Mole Knight, with a chuckle, before growing serious again, “Say… I saw you show up alongside Spectre Knight. But not with the other undead. You wouldn’t happen to be close to him, would you?”

“Ah, si,” said the man, nodding, “We are old friends.”

“D’you know what’s gotten into him?” asked Mole Knight, “Unless it’s one of those ‘you don’t know him like I do’ type of deals, he seems a little different from the guy I used to work with in the Order.”

“Well, of course he is different,” said the female boneclang, “He is free.”

Before Mole Knight could ask exactly what that meant, however, one of his men caught his attention.

“Are we ready, boss?”

“Just about,” called Mole Knight. 

This business was a mystery he could solve later, if he cared to. Now was the time to get down to business. Deep down.

 

\- - -

 

“Set a course for someplace nice, won’t you? Maybe wherever Propeller Knight was from. He always seemed like a civilized fellow…”

King Knight kicked up his legs and leaned back in his chair, lounging comfortably. It hadn’t been too difficult to escape Pridemoor Castle, now that he’d had some time to think about it. As much has he appreciated his kingdom’s attempts to protect him, -or at least the thought of it- he had grown terribly tired of living in that dank, musty cell. Why be a king if you couldn’t live the kingly life, after all? No, The Valley was a nice, quaint little place, but King Knight had outgrown it. Been there, conquered that, etcetera.   
So he’d made a break for it, fled Pridemoor, requisitioned a carriage and high-tailed it down to the bay where he knew the Iron Whale was being kept. If he was going to travel in search of further fortune, he was going to do it in style! Besides, he’d always liked Treasure Knight– the man knew the value of gold and seemed much more willing to get his hands dirty acquiring it. 

Un-marooning the Iron Whale hadn’t been too much of a hindrance, though King Knight was still rather annoyed that he’d had to waste so much time and energy liberating it. It was peasant work, really! Outrageous that he, a sovereign of such class, had to do all the heavy lifting. But it was all worth it now that they were on the open sea. It was a pity that stupid alembic-addict had pilfered all the gold beforehand, but King Knight was sure there was more to be claimed en-route. 

“I am still… processing things,” came Treasure Knight’s deep voice from nearby, “…You freed my vessel in a matter of days.”

The nautical Knight was sitting at a table, cupping his helmet in one hand with the thumb pushing it up slightly so that he could be understood. King Knight scowled.

“It would have been quicker if the local villeins hadn’t been so quarrelsome!” he responded, indignantly, “Really, you should be thanking me on bended knee for–“

“No. The time is not the issue,” interrupted Treasure Knight, “I am grateful. But I am also at a loss as to how you managed to do it alone, with countless opposition?”

“Firstly, do not interrupt me when I am speaking,” said King Knight with a huff, before relaxing slightly, “And secondly, I always get what I want! I just have to do it the hard way, sometimes.”

Definitely a way he should never have to do anything, of course, but every once in a while it was necessary. After all, a true king had to have the ambition, power and resourcefulness to get what he wanted! Life had a disobliging way of trying to flout fate, but he wasn’t about to let it -or anything else for that matter- keep him from his destiny.

Treasure Knight shook his great, domed helmet in wonderment, then returned to the map he’d been scrutinizing before asking his inane questions. King Knight hoped he was finding a suitable destination and not just ignoring him. King Knight hated when people ignored him– some more than others. At least the bounty hunter had sent for the most comfortable chair on the vessel for him. The Iron Whale was not quite as lavish as King Knight had hoped. It was dingy, echoing, slightly damp and completely made of ugly, riveted metal. Better than a briny old sailboat, yes… But he ought to have some kind of comfort while staying there! At least until he could go about getting the whole thing a proper renovation! Hmm… An under water palace… That was a regal idea! Yes! Sailing the seas in comfort and style, conquering the various ports and shores… A kingdom that spanned the ocean!

King Knight wriggled, clapping his hands together with a metallic clinking at his wonderful new idea.

“I say, you there!” he called out to a nearby… servant… thing, “Get me a glass of juice, immediately! The best you can find on this… craft. I’m parched! Rescuing an entire ship is thirsty work, you know! And you!”

Another servant-y thing glanced up at him as he called, “Yes, you! Tend to my armour. It’s been scuffed! And my muscles ache. Prepare a hot bath! And a massage, if any of you are knowledgeable…”

The ugly, drooping creatures glanced over to Treasure Knight, who waved his large, gloved hand.

“Drr rrs hr rrsks,” he muffled, not bothering to push up his helmet again, “Wrr rr rn hrs drrbt.”

King Knight settled down contentedly as the attendants scuttled away. Well. He was going to have to slum it for a while… But glory waited just past the horizon..!

 

\- - -

 

The wind was cold, and the smell of pine, strong. It mingled with the scent of smoke, and harmonized with the soft crackle of flames. Five figures encircled the campfire, casting long, flickering shadows. Dark against the snow, they might look like statues to those far away. But the closer you moved, the more you’d notice. Movement. Voices. Except for one silhouette, the largest, that remained still.

Polar Knight was not a man of many words. Like a glacier, he was silent, and imposing; pale as the ice and strong as the mountains around him. Frost clung to his beard, and curled ‘round his fingers like brittle gloves. It almost seemed as if the cold radiated from him, and not the surrounding snow. Yet inside, he was warm.

It had been an age since they’d all last been together like this. The three Knights, and the third’s mount. Blue, red, black and reptilian, all gathered around the campfire. Shovel Knight was as buoyant as ever, gesticulating and conversing amiably. Black Knight remained haughty and quarrelsome, challenging the other Knight at every turn, or otherwise ignoring him to feed his loyal steed. And Shield Knight… she was quiet, mostly, leaning back against the log behind her and simply listening. But occasionally she would laugh, or interject with some missed detail. The haunted look in her eyes was beginning to fade… 

Presently, those very same, nut-brown eyes slid up to meet his own. Polar Knight knew Shield Knight couldn’t see past his helmet, nor his beard. Not that his expression would reveal anything, anyway. Yet he knew that she knew. Her eyes crinkled and she smiled at him.

Wordlessly, Polar Knight unsheathed his shovel, and delicately stoked the fire. 

 

\- - - 

 

The Troupple Pond’s waters glittered softly under the strings of blueish lanterns. Small waves caused the aquatic grasses to sway, making a faint hushing sound. Darcy sat on the edge of the small, weathered pier and stared down at his reflection. His face undulated on the water’s surface, making it difficult to tell his expression. It was peaceful here. But not in his heart. 

The other acolytes had all retired to their lodgings for the evening, but Darcy couldn’t sleep. He heaved a sigh and cupped his face in his hands. He didn’t remain in that position for long, however, as he was startled upright by the faint sound of footsteps.  
Whipping around, Darcy caught sight of a figure approaching from the surrounding wood. For a moment, the two just stared at each other, before the other spoke.

“Darcy? Is that you?”

“M-Missy!” Darcy got to his feet and hastened over, “A-are you leaving?”

“What? No,” Missy shook her head, “Not yet. I just couldn’t sleep, so I decided to take a walk. What are you doing up?”

“O-oh! …Same thing…”

There was a small, awkward pause.

“…Mind if I sit with you?” Missy finally asked.

Darcy nodded mutely and returned to his place on the dock, scooching over so that his friend could sit beside him. They sat there in silence together, listening to the ambience of the grotto. Stewing.  
Glancing furtively out of the corner of his eyes, Darcy peeked at his old companion. She hadn’t really changed since back then. Still green and round-faced, with bouncing curls and bright black eyes. Still cheerful and talkative and deeply, endlessly kind. But she was older, now. They both were. No longer children lost in a too-big world. They’d made lives for themselves. Lives that, unfortunately, no longer converged very often.

The day he had become a Troupple acolyte had changed everything for Darcy. He was suddenly accepted, and loved; even entrusted with a divine duty. He had purpose, now. No longer a student of the dark arts, no longer a prisoner of that awful Woman. But that day had also been the day he and Missy had had to part ways. After she escorted him to the Troupple Pond and embraced his cleansed body, he had asked her to stay. But she had declined. She had her own fortune to seek. 

“…Uhm, congratulations..!”

“Hm?”

Missy glanced up at him, and he quickly looked away, “Ah, on finding a new mentor! Your quest is finally over, now!”

He really was happy for her. Some of his most beloved memories from before the Pond were of Missy’s shining smile. The very one she was wearing now. 

“Yeah! I’m just so happy… Sometimes, I felt like–“ Missy cut herself off, suddenly looking regretful. Her hand flew to her curls, and tugged, lightly, “…Well… I-I never really gave up! But, you know… Sometimes…”

She trailed off. He knew what she meant. He wondered if she’d felt the same way at the orphanage. She’d been so bright and sunny, even then. He’d never even seen her cry. She was always comforting him instead. He wondered if she was simply able to rise above the misery of the world. Or maybe, she simply hid it all away inside, somewhere. 

“…So, you’re going to live with the Green Child now, right?” Darcy blurted before he could stop himself. 

“Yep! She says there’s going to be a lot of changes at the Potionarium, and she wants my help! I’m going to be so busy! Ah, I’m so excited!”

Darcy wilted a little. 

“Oh…”

“She promised she’d help me work on my teleportation, too! It’s going to be so nice to be able to pop in and visit any time I want!”

“Huh?” Darcy blinked, “Visit? Who?”

“You, silly!” Missy beamed, “I don’t have to travel anymore… I can finally come home!”

“Home? But– But home’s leagues away!” cried Darcy. He wasn’t unaccustomed to Missy being confusing, but he wished she’d be a little clearer, sometimes.

“Not back there,” Missy shook her head, “Goodness, no! I mean, close to you! I… I know it sounds silly…”

She continued to twiddle her curls, smiling sheepishly, “But we’ve been friends so long, it’s like… You’re more of a home to me than any building. We used to move around so much, you know? But we were always together, and that was like… something to come back to.”

Darcy felt a lump in his throat, and he tried to force it back down. 

“M-me too! I mean…” Darcy gritted his teeth and clasped his hands in his lap, “I–“

Suddenly, there was a deep gurgle from the Pond, and a bulbous red face rose out of it.

“I am most glad you two have been reunited,” said the Troupple King in a whisper, “But the Troupple are trying to sleep.”

Darcy promptly prostrated himself, almost falling into the water.

“I am sorry, My King!”

“I’m sorry, Your Majesty!” Missy chimed in. 

“Sssh!” the Troupple King hissed, “You are pardoned. But you must now retire.”

Bowing silently, Darcy stood up and Missy followed suit. Hastening into the forest, their steps eventually slowed, until they were picking their way steadily through the underbrush. Darcy’s smile was hidden in the gloom.

“…I-I’m glad you’re home,” he whispered, at length.

There was a rustle, and suddenly his vision was obscured by a wave of green ringlets.

“Me too.”

 

\- - -

 

“And what is that, there?”

“It’s a piston.”

“Oh, a piston? Tell me about these piston…”

Tinker Knight gave a deep sigh and sagged against the edge of the sky-skiff he was working on, peering up at the taller Knight beside him. 

“Listen, Prop, if you don’t already know what a piston is, what’s the point of me explaining it to you now?”

“I am curious, that is all,” replied Propeller Knight, innocently.

“Curious just now, out of the blue, huh? You’ve been living just fine thus far having your engineers sort everything out for you…”

“Well, yes,” said Propeller Knight, idly smoothing a few creases out of his jacket, “But it never hurts to learn, you know? What if I am cast away in a storm, and tossed to the mercy of the elements? Knowing how to fix my craft would be most helpful, no?”

Tinker Knight shrugged, “Well, I guess so… Still don’t see why you gotta ask me, though.”

He turned back to the sky-skiff to continue his work, frowning under his welding-mask. He really wanted to get back to his own projects. He’d just come up with an idea for a sort of diagonal conveyer belt that could carry objects or people between building levels, and he was burning to begin the design process. But, for old time’s sake, he’d answered Propeller Knight’s earlier call. He didn’t exactly dislike the man after all; he was a little flashy, and a little flighty -in more ways than one- but they’d still gotten along quite well during their time in the Order. 

“Oh, Tinker Knight! Are you really so dense?”

The diminutive engineer looked up again, testily, “What is it now?”

“I asked you because I wanted to see you!” cried Propeller Knight jovially, shaking his helmet, “Ah, you spend too much time cooped up with your gear…”

“Wanted to see me?” 

“Yes! We have been neighbours for some time, you know…”

Propeller Knight turned as if to stare wistfully out a window. Upon remembering there were none in Tinker Knight’s workshop, he decided to look down at his skiff instead.

“Always next to each other, but never becoming acquainted, properly… I only saw you when I needed assistance, or The Enchantress had some sort of task for us…”

“Well, technically you’re here now cause you needed assistance anyway,” said Tinker Knight, rotating his wrench sharply around a bolt with a loud squeak.

Propeller Knight simply laughed. 

“Ah! Again, your hard head is showing, mon ami! Perhaps this is why you do not wear a helmet…” he gave a small, exasperated sigh, “No. The assistance is secondary. A little breaker of the ice, you know? You are a very interesting person, Tinker Knight, and I wish to know you better! Interesting people, they are of great importance to me!”

Tinker Knight rounded on him, “Are you coming on to me?”

Propeller Knight laughed again, more loudly this time, “Ohohoho! No, mon ami! …Unless you would like that.”

Tinker Knight could practically hear him wink behind his helmet, and he rolled his eyes, “Just thought I’d check. I can never tell exactly what you’re up to.”

“I merely wish to befriend you. Properly,” Propeller Knight’s voice was surprisingly sincere and warm, suddenly, “Not as a colleague, but as a true companion. I admire your skills and intellect immensely, and I would be honoured for you to become a regular guest at my functions.”

“Functions, huh?” Tinker Knight wasn’t sure he liked the sound of that.

“Oh, yes! I collect all the most fascinating personage from all over The Land to attend my parties! Such brilliance, such culture! Faces, object and idea from far and wide! I promise you there will be dozens to stimulate your intellectual curiosity,” Propeller Knight leaned in slightly, “Or anything else you need stimulated.”

Tinker Knight rolled his eyes again, hard enough to pop them out of his sockets. But… he was a little intrigued. It was in his nature. He did know that Propeller Knight was one of the best connected individuals in The Valley. Maybe joining his little club for curious characters might actually be worth it. Tinker Knight was aware that technology blossomed in every land, and that discussing said foreign advancements with fellow engineers might be quite the boon…

“Well…” Tinker Knight sighed and put down his wrench, “I suppose… I could try coming along sometime.”

“Ah! Magnifique!” cried Propeller Knight, leaping up genially, “I am overjoyed to welcome you! Of course, you will need some appropriate clothing for the event…”

“What? Propeller Kni–“

“Ah! And you should bring some of your dear Cogslotter along; they are quite handsome…”

“Listen, do you want this Sky Skiff fixed, or–“

“But we will need to be quick! The party is tomorrow, after all, ho ho!”

“PROPELLER KNI–“

“Alons-y, bricoleur! We have much to attend to!” 

 

\- - -

 

The life of an alchemist was the constant struggle to do the undoable. Deep in the glassy depths of alembics, retorts and beakers bubbled the secrets of the universe. Everything -or so alchemists believed- was already hidden deep in the heart of the earth; one only had to be clever enough to seek it out.

The lab in the basement of the Potionarium was uncharacteristically spotless. It wasn’t that Plague Knight was terribly messy with his projects, exactly, but it was rare for him to completely dismantle his entire setup. This time, however, he had a reason. He wanted things to look nice…  
Apart from the more permanent fixtures of the lab, nothing remained save for a large, green glass tank set against one wall. It was mounted on a set of metal stilts, which suspended it over a gurney. It resembled the Dynamo Decanter after a fashion, but it was much smaller and slimmer. A rig of low-heat burners kept the tank at a specific temperature, monitored by a large, visible gauge. Tubes connected to several ports on its glassy walls delivered a steady drip of various solutions, including salt and blood. 

Plague Knight gazed up at it with barely disguised eagerness, running his thumb over the surface of the bright blue jewel clutched in his left hand.

“Hee… Almost finished, my sweet…” he whispered, as he beheld the construct curled up inside the strange contraption. 

The jewel did nothing but pulse with faint warmth. She’d stopped talking, recently, after growing quieter and quieter every day. Her confinement made her sleepy, she’d told him. He missed her voice, and the glint of her eyes. But soon… soon.

Checking over the machine’s readings, Plague Knight carefully adjusted the gurney below the contraption, then scampered over to a large, wooden lever. Grasping it firmly and fairly vibrating with excitement, he yanked it down, hard.   
With a loud thrumming and whirring, the great glass tank began to empty, its contents draining through a series of pipes. Immediately after, a deluge of water flushed the chamber, followed by several puffs of compressed air and a quick jolt of electricity.   
Giggling maniacally, Plague Knight finished the strange procedure by hitting a button on the contraption. With a mechanical whir, the bottom slid open, allowing the contents of the glass container to slide out onto the gurney.

Grabbing a sheet from his worktable, Plague Knight quickly scuttled over and tossed it onto the sprawled form, before leaning in to check vitals. He pressed his left fingers gently against the neck and held his right hand over the slightly parted lips. A pulse, and faint, uneven breaths..! Yes!  
Cackling with delight, Plague Knight hurried around the gurney, carefully adjusting the body into a comfortable position and taking care not to be too invasive. As he completed his circuit, he paused a moment, his eyes drawn to the motionless visage of his creation. A round, deathly pale face, framed with feathery black hair. The features were so familiar, yet alien here; soft lips, short, cute nose, eyes closed but surely brilliant beneath their lids… A nigh-perfect replica of his beloved partner.

But it wasn’t her. Just a shell, painstakingly crafted in her likeness. It had been… well, not easy, per se, but not fiendishly difficult either. How lucky it was that his secret project had been the study and construction of homunculi. And with his talent for transmutation potions and a few hairs from Mona’s brush, growing a pleasing facsimile had only taken… a few tries. One never got it right immediately, after all! To make an omelette, you had to break a few eggs! Or mutated craniums. Tomato potato. But this one, this one was ripe, and alive, and he was so, so close…

Trembling, Plague Knight lifted the blue stone in his fingers and laid it delicately on the homunculus’ chest. 

“Hee… Hee… See how you like it,” he whispered, fervently, “You can come out, now..!”

For a moment, nothing happened. Plague Knight stood on tip-toe in breathless anticipation, staring avidly at the immobile body. Then, just as his heart was sinking, he caught a faint glimmer, which grew presently into a bright blue glow. Leaning in, Plague Knight beheld a pale green stain begin to spread across the blanched skin, slowly filling every inch with emerald like a drop of ink into water.   
Giggling maniacally, Plague Knight clutched the edge of the gurney and watched as the green grew more and more vibrant, until suddenly, the homunculus opened its eyes. Strikingly verdant, and bright as stars.

Plague Knight was suddenly overcome with a wave of timidity, and he withdrew his hands from the gurney. He had missed Mona terribly during her absence, and desperately looked forward to the day he’d be able to give her a body again. Up until now, that body -the homunculus- had simply been a vessel. A pale sketch of a true work of art. He’d viewed it as an object rather than a person, a means to an end, and nothing more. But now that it was Mona, truly Mona, he was suddenly rather shy again. He’d ached for this moment for so long, yet now that it had come, he found himself quickly devolving into a sweaty mess.

Mona, meanwhile, seemed to have fully settled in. Her eyes darted towards Plague Knight, and in a sudden flurry of sheets she sprang up like a trap and snatched him into her arms. Plague Knight’s mind momentarily went blank as he was engulfed in warm, green softness. As soon as he managed to regain his faculties, however, he began to squirm panically as his blood pressure shot through the roof.

“M-M-Mona!! Y-Y-You’re not––“

Mona let go of him in surprise, looking confused, before glancing down and realizing she’d cast the sheets off her when she’d sat up. Plague Knight, who had turned away at this point to cover his eyes and freak out, heard a ruffling of cloth, followed by a little squeak from the gurney.

“Plaguey! You can turn around, now.”

Gingerly pivoting to peer at her, Plague Knight found that Mona had tied the sheet around her like a toga, and was adequately covered. This was a bit of a relief, though the little alchemist still found himself rather distracted.

“Hee! W-well?” he asked, fidgeting, “H-how do you feel?”

“Solid,” said Mona, staring down at her left hand and turning it this way and that, “And fleshy. Wow! You did a really great job…”

“Do you want a mirror?” asked Plague Knight, hoping for a chance to scuttle away and regain his composure, “Hee, y-you can hardly say I did well until you see your face..!”

“Mm, no thanks. I have the utmost trust in your skills,” Mona replied with a shrug.

Instead, her eyes gleamed and she patted her lap.

“Come here again,” she said, “I want to… w-well. If you don’t mind… Just thought it would be, uh, good to calibrate my… senses and coordination properly…”

After gulping rather loudly, Plague Knight hesitantly climbed up onto the gurney, and allowed Mona to place her hands gently on his waist. He caught himself staring at her, moon-eyed, before shaking his head a little and quickly looking away. 

There was a small silence, filled only by the faint noises of the lab and the ticklish sensation of Mona’s fingers drumming ever so slightly. Then Mona spoke again.

“…I missed you.”

“Hee! We never really parted, you know…”

“You know what I mean,” Mona grumbled and poked him in the chest, “I kind of prefer not being an inanimate rock.”

Plague Knight giggled, “Heehee! I prefer that, too!”

Mona’s lips curled back into a wide, toothy grin, and Plague Knight felt his temperature rise even further. Or was that just her unusually candescent body-heat warming him up? 

“Well, anyway. It’s good to be back…”

“Hee… It’s good to have you back.”

Mona’s grin turned from mischievous to affectionate, and she withdrew her hands a little.

“…May I?” she asked.

“Er, may you what?” replied Plague Knight, cocking his head.

“…Hug you,” said Mona, hesitantly, “Less… spontaneously this time.”

Plague Knight giggled nervously and tried not to waffle over the decision too much. On one hand, he would like a hug. Very much so. On the other, he was probably drenched in sweat, and besides that, he still felt a strange sense of guilt whenever it came to touching his partner. 

“I-it’s fine if you don’t–“

“Yes! Er– Hee hee! S-sure! Hee hee hee…”

Looking relieved, Mona reached out and drew him close again. Plague Knight settled in and tucked his beak over her shoulder, endeavouring to let himself enjoy the proximity this time. The fact that she was covered now did help his bashfulness a little, though it was still painfully easy to feel the shape of her body through the sheet.   
Mona, on the other hand, didn’t seem to mind his perspiration at all. She simply cuddled him tightly and took a deep, contented breath. They sat there for some time, until Mona finally spoke up.

“…You know, I was thinking…” 

Mona’s words took a while to register with Plague Knight, who was rather preoccupied with being tangled up in heaven.

“Heh– Uhh– Wha?” he gurgled, dazedly.

“While I was stuck in my amulet. I remembered I owe you something.”

“Owe me? Hee– owe me what?” Plague Knight reluctantly pulled away to look up at her, “Heh, remember, I told you you don’t have to make it up to me for–”

“No, no, this is ancient,” interrupted Mona, shaking her head, “And now I have a body, I think I can finally set it up.”

Plague Knight blinked at her behind his mask, “Hee! Well, go on then, stop being so mysterious! Tell me!”

Mona snickered and raised an eyebrow. 

“Eager, aren’t we? Well…” Mona readjusted her position a little, shuffling Plague Knight with her, “I’m pretty sure I promised you a tropical getaway once, didn’t I?”

Plague Knight was momentarily stymied before the memory came back to him.

“Hee! I remember now– when I brought back Polar Knight’s Essence!”

It was a bitter-sweet recollection. 

“I think it’s a little overdue, don’t you?” Mona asked, leaning over him slightly.

Plague Knight felt the down on the back of his neck stand up a little, “E-er, hee hee! V-very much so! Yes! Ahh…”

“Great!” Mona beamed, seemingly ignorant of his bashfulness, or perhaps not, “And I’ll be able to get used to this new body of mine… Speaking of which, I definitely do owe you for this one… Maybe I’ll find a way to repay you on the beach…”

With that, she gently slid out from under him and off the gurney, beginning her slightly wobbly walk across the lab and trailing her sheets behind her. Plague Knight stared after her, lost in a fog, before shaking himself alert and scrambling after her.

“Mona? What do you mean? R-repay me? H-h-how? Mona– MONA WAIT UP!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And with that, I guess this is the end of the Trilogy! I really can't believe I've managed to get here, and I can't thank you all enough for supporting me! As for what's next, I have a companion piece one-shot to write, and then... I'll see what I can do with your suggestions! You can still send them, by the way. Something tells me I'll have a while before King of Cards comes out...
> 
> Meanwhile, I noticed you guys asked a lot of questions! So, without further ado...
> 
> -For anyone curious, Treasure Knight’s line is “Do as he asks, we are in his debt.”
> 
> -To Boopadoop; The Enchantress’s fledge was power (well, control, but close enough), and Missy’s (will be) helping people– you guessed it! You're pretty darn shrewd! Mona, meanwhile, fledged on Knowledge, therefor her magic is based on what she knows and understands. In the original draft, Enchantresses were demigods who embodied a certain concept (Alchemy, in Mona’s case) but I ended up changing that.
> 
> -Zorua_Illusions; PK alchemically modified his cloak from a standard one he bought. As IC as it is for him to steal them, he was trying to keep a low profile at the time. After that, Mona took over making replacements, as she can actually make clothes. As for using the Series Function, I’m not sure, as of yet…
> 
> -Dude What the Heck; you found me! That is indeed my blog. I put a little message up for you but idk if you saw it. Either way, feel free to come say hello!
> 
> -Cade; don’t worry about it! I love comments, but nobody’s ever obligated to make them, heheh.
> 
> And finally, if anyone’s still confused; when Mona discards her body, she becomes her own equivalent of the Remnant of Fate.
> 
> I'd also like to thank you, Zorua_Illusions, for your wonderful fanart/feedback! I'm extremely touched. I really have a hard time knowing what to say at times like this, heh, but thank you so much!
> 
> Anyway, it's about time I crawled back into my planning dungeon for a little while. Till next time, my friends... -TS


End file.
